Daughter of Stars of Earth

Chapter Fifteen-Explanations

Thranduil and Elrond approach me in a flurry, although the king is the one who seems more flustered while Elrond is calm. "You just have an inexhaustible desire for trouble, do you not?" Thranduil huffs and takes my hands without a qualm to tug me to my feet. Familiar fingers take my chin so that I look at him as he searches my eyes. When he finds nothing but confusion, he releases me and scans my body for harm.

"Have you been injured?" Elrond asks me softly and I meet his gentle eyes. My head shakes.

"I...I'm not sure what happened." My eyes return to Thranduil and only realize now that before he was wearing something starkly different. Brown and orange, I think, rather than white and green. "There was a little girl, an elleth." I can't break away from Thranduil's concerned and questioning eyes. I can still feel his lips on my cheek, his arm wrapped around my waist.

"I understand, mellon, and will do my best to explain. For now, let us move indoors." Only when Elrond takes my hand from Thranduil do I look to him. "Thank you for searching with me, but this is something I believe should be spoken between only us." After a moment Thranduil nods, but I don't release his hand. While I agree with Lord Elrond, I don't want to part from the king. Not now. Not after...whatever that just was.

"Could he not walk with us, at least? Once we reach my rooms, then we may talk privately." I plead and Elrond tilts his head in deference to the king. Thranduil doesn't hesitate in leading the walk towards the soft torchlight within the walls of his realm. He clings tightly to my hand as we walk and even if he didn't, I wouldn't release him. There's clearly something tying us together, our emotions, the Valar's plans, whatever just happened in the woods, but it's all tied together with us in the middle. My eyes rarely stray from him as we walk as I try to see traces of the ellon in the woods, but too soon we're at my door. "Go within and wait for me. I'd like just a moment with the king." I tell Elrond and after a cautious look between us, he nods and ducks into my chambers.

"Aeolin, what troubles you?" Thranduil asks as soon as the doors shut. I meet his eyes and there it is. There's that concern reminiscent of the ellon in the forest. The tiniest sparkle within those blue pools like a diamond at the bottom of a lake. All of a sudden, hope blooms within me like a beautiful weed I'd tried so hard to stomp out.

"I hope to one day have the courage to tell you what I have seen." I murmur to those sapphire eyes and bring our entwined hands up between us to rest them over my heart. His touch sends a soft sort of comfort through me. "But this is not the day. I only wished to say thank you for the feast, for my dress, and for walking with me." Now his eyes are filled with confusion. I release his hand only to go up on my toes and press a butterfly light kiss on his cheek. "Amin diola a' lle, Aran." (My thanks to you, king.) I whisper and take one last glance into his eyes before ducking into my room.

*Thranduil's POV*

I'm ashamed to admit just how long I stared after her when the door shut.

Something in her eyes called out to me more than before. A knowing. Maybe even a longing. My head shakes as I turn and move to my rooms closest to her. As always, I drape the lively bunch of daisies onto the table beside my bed along with the one I keep in my robes over my heart. The rest of my clothes are draped over the chest at the end of my bed in exchange for a sleeping robe. Then I move to my balcony and stare up at the stars.

The elleth remains on my mind, as she often does. She once compared me to starlight, but if I am starlight then she is sunlight. Warm, welcoming, and nurturing. Hot on the skin. I sigh and rub my fingers together before turning and walking back within my rooms. She had been breathtaking tonight and allowed me to hold her so close to me. Her hand strong and tight on mine as we walked back to her rooms. She'd requested that I come with her. That we not be parted. Yet here we are; parted after all and I find myself restless because of it.