The Realm of the Stars

Chapter Three - Into The Realm

A couple minutes later Thranduil came hurriedly in, glancing first at his son in worry, then down at the girl below. His brow raised in disbelief, and was followed by a frown, then a look of annoyance spread across his features when he looked again at his son. Legolas, the only one besides his mother who ever chose to hold their ground unwaveringly among them when his father was annoyed or angered, took a deep breath. His father didn't speak, but his ice-blue eyes were demanding an explanation.

"She's cleaning," Legolas said, immediately feeling like an idiot.

Thranduil cocked his head to the side, and the look on his face conveyed pure exasperation. With pursed lips he said, "Obviously. Is this why you called me out of meeting with my masons and master carpenters? To tell me that the human is doing the job I expect my own people to perform when they can, and she is showing more reverence and respect for my queen's halls than her own people do?!" His voice was climbing, and echoed off the walls by the time he finished.

Legolas took a breath to steady himself. He was a little perturbed now too with that statement. "Of course not, and I resent the insinuation that you just made that I am failing to care for my own mother's memorial. I already explained to you why we had not cleaned up yet. Those fools didn't leave until this morning. We could not venture out to do it without something odd being seen. You know that."

Thranduil merely raised a single eyebrow at that, the look of irritation still apparent, and with a wave of his hand bid him to continue.

"She wishes to clean off the vile paintings on the walls."

The anger was replaced with confusion and suspicion, "How did she propose to do that?"

"By use of some chemicals that apparently can take it off. My concern was that it will disturb the spell you have cast to protect the palace."

Thranduil looked down for a moment at the girl who had stopped cleaning and was looking above her now. He straightened a little more at this.

"She senses us somehow, as you have already suspected." Legolas said softly.

"Many of the daughters of men do. So, that is hardly surprising." Thranduil replied in a dismissive voice. Then he brought a fisted hand to his mouth and let his index finger rest on his lip as he thought it over. He watched her for several long moments. She apprehensively went back to cleaning up the floor, with some occasional side-glances to the canopy of trees above her.

Something impulsive was growing with in him. An impulse that could either get this girl killed, locked up in an asylum, or if his instincts were serving him right, could help him somehow. He wasn't exactly sure how that was possible but there was a connective energy which he could clearly feel that stirred it within him, making him want to trust her. It was not a sexual attraction. It was something else entirely... a thread he could not name quite yet.

Knowing it would be stupid to recklessly reveal all to her, he made a decision as he finally broke his gaze from the woman below, and up to the dwindling light that the girl did not seem to take notice of. Autumn made the days shorter he knew that, she would need to go soon, or he would have to keep her there. If he didn't keep her there, because of what he was about to do, she would see too much, and also be in danger from the night prowlers. The coyote pack, though most were driven off, still had some stragglers who had broken away from the pack, and even his elves were unsure where they were. No, if he was to do something like this, on this day, he had to do it now.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath that settled into his core, opened his eyes and with it spread his arms out to his sides, as he exhaled.

He heard Legolas and a few other elves behind him gasp in alarm.