You were led down the hallway back to your room and he went inside with you. Upon entry he went to the side of your bed and pulled on a long rope of fabric, then went across the room to the wardrobe. When he opened it, you seen a full array of brightly colored clothes with in and he began pulling some of them out, examining each one down to the last stitch. Some he put back, others he hung over his arm. A couple of minutes later as the pile on his arm grew a red-haired servant girl came in and curtsied. Wordlessly she crossed the room to the king.
Without looking at her he said, "I wish her to wear these tonight with the Blue Sapphires of the Glen. Bind her hair loosely." The girl merely nodded and went across the room laying the clothes on the bed and beckoned to you with a wave of her hand. You had stood motionless just inside the entrance to what you assumed to be your own room just watching in silence until then. The king turned and nodded at you with a hint of a smile and left you with the elf-maid.
She set to work immediately going to another cupboard and bringing out linens and wash clothes. Another drawer in the wardrobe held jeweled hair pins, combs, ribbons and a hairbrush. You sat down on the bed as she made her preparations to dress you up like a live doll. Dainty shoes were taken out of the bottom of the wardrobe and fresh water with flower petals was poured in the washing basin. After she made sure you took care of bodily needs she proceeded to help scrub you down from head to toe despite your protests that you could do it yourself, then she began dressing you. What had seemed like a lot of clothes really was not and to your horror no types of underwear or even slips were provided save the skimpy white satin that was put over you before a light blue pure lace dress with golden flecks was put over it.
She turned her attention to your hair next and she managed to twist and in some way entwine parts of it with ribbons and hold it partially up, but mostly down with combs and hairpins. They jewels on the pins and combs sparkled with each movement you made. At this she told you to stay there and she left for several minutes. With her leaving you found yourself going to a mirror that hung on the far wall. You hardly recognized yourself. You looked like part of a fairy story... As if you belonged here in this gothic, mystical place. You examined yourself in all angles and still came to the same conclusion. However, something about your looks bothered you. You couldn't quite pin it down until you stepped completely up to the mirror. It was your eyes. You could not place how, but they were changed in some form. It sent a shiver down your spine.
The maid returned at this, and with her she brought a wooden box that had a lock and a key dangling on her wrist. You came back over to the spot you had been sitting at and resumed your seated position as she laid the box down next to you. You watched with a nervous anticipation as she put the key in and turned it. When she opened it your eyes boggled and you found yourself swallowing hard as she lifted out of the box a necklace of deep blue sapphire and sparkling white gems. The set was one that you could never even dream of in it's beauty. Your hand came up to touch one oddly warm jewel as she fastened it about your neck. This was a necklace only a queen should wear.
Satisifed with her handiwork, the maid stepped back from you, and walked to the mirror you had been admiring yourself in earlier and gestured to it. Getting up you and going to it, you again met your reflection and momentarily seen the odd look your eyes now beheld. You chose to focus on the necklace and the look as a whole as you knew this was what she wanted you to do. Wholly as perfect as you could get, you offered her a shy smile, which she returned. She curtsied and left you in your room.
You looked out the window to your room and seen it was night. Or at least as dark as night outside. You walked to it and peered out. The snow covered woods greeted you outside. Would he really let you go before your mother died? Could you really trust this beautiful, powerful but dangerous creature of the woods?
"-yourname-." A voice you had come to know as the king's said softly behind you, "Shall we go? The feast is ready."
You turned around looked at him and could not help smiling a little. His outfit matched your own only without the lace. A light blue intricately detailed tunic with golden lace at the ends of his sleeves, and soft cream trousers, only offset with black deer-skin thigh high boots he wore. The cloak lined in gold cloth and the same light blue fabric as his tunic hung at his shoulders. Regal, and you had to admit, exquisite in his bearing he entered and came to you, and offered his arm. Feeling a flush come to your cheeks at the way he seemed to ogle you in a more than friendly way, you looked away and let him lead you out of the room arm in arm.
"You look very beautiful." He said softly as he walked with you down the dizzying sets of walkways and corridors. You could not help grinning like an idiot at that.
Finally you were led to a large room where trees grew about you, leaves still falling from their branches, and everything seemed to glisten with dew. Dominating the center of it was a long, heavy, wooden table of made of oak. A blue and white table cloth covered the top, and it was set with an array of food, each delectable in it's own way. The room was thick with an unspoken energy that you had felt on and off since you had entered the place, and out of nowhere people seemed to file in. Their dresses and suits a glittering display of color and fantasy.
As he led you to the center of the table and sat you down beside him in a wooden chair carved with blossoms and leaves, upholstered with red velvet and golden studs, you noticed them eyeing you and whispering to each other as you passed.The couple seated beside you, a dark haired elf-man accompanied by a pretty strawberry blond resplendent in their brown and gold clothing smiled at you constantly. The king waved a hand over the food, and elves which were clearly serviors came out of nowhere and starting with the king, then you, filled your plates quickly and to the brim.
You noticed throughout the evening that though his conversation was polite, the king's mood became increasingly agitated and fixated on a darkened corner of the room. By the time he gave leave for the dances to start you noticed him unconsciously grinding the tip of a knife into the wood of the table cutting a hole in the tablecloth. He spoke little to you throughout the evening and as a result you were inclined to eavesdrop. There was the usual talk about the food, the finery of the attendants, the king's obvious bad mood, who was sleeping with who, who hated who, who wanted to be with who, and as you knew it would turn to it, yourself. One person described you as sweet and lovely like a delicate cake, another questioned how mad the king had actually become bringing a mortal to their table. Many assumptions were made about his purposes for you - most of which seemed to be of the opinion that he intended to either make you his servant or his concubine. While you didn't seem to care much for the idea of being a servant to a mad elf king, the idea of being his concubine sent a rather shameful wave of excitement through you that pooled between your legs.
It was not until that moment that you realized you actually had a sexual attraction to him - this unpredictable, moody but ethereal and beautiful creature who had saved you from the cold. Perhaps they were right, and he had put a spell on you after all?
The king's preoccupation with the darkened corner forced you to keep looking at it all the time too. While you seen nothing, whether it was his focus on it, your imagination or something intuitive deep down, it made you very uneasy. And whatever mad thought had entered into the king's mind over was even more disconcerting. You couldn't help constantly glancing over at him, especially when he had the knife in hand.
Mid-way through the second dance he turned his attention on you with a soft smile, yet you could still see the dark look in his eyes. "Would you care to dance -yourname-?"
"Ah..." you looked at the floor, watching the couples waltz past in assured confidence and eloquence, swallowed a nervous chuckle, and replied with a smile, "I would love to my king, but I don't know how to dance like this..."
He actually laughed at this, a wonderful sound of mirth that tinkled off the crystal glasses and chandeliers. "I will not take that as an excuse. I happen to be a wonderful teacher."
Your eyes went big at this and the nervous feeling of knowing you were about to make a complete fool of yourself in front of a bunch of high profile individuals settled in your stomach. He stood undeterred and held out his hand. You knew this invitation wasn't a request but a command. The set look in his eyes made that clear. You gave him a nervous smile, followed by an even more insecure chuckle and laid your hand in his letting his pull you up.
He led you to the floor and took you in his arms, pulling you close to him, one hand not on your waist but actually under your arm near your breast, leaving one of your hands on his shoulder. The other he grasped aloft, and told you, "Okay my right, your left. I step forward and you step back, then your right foot and my left. And then so on. Just follow my lead and do not worry about bumping in to others. You must trust me."
"I leave myself in your capable hands." you said weakly.
"Ready? Now...1...2..3..." and he stepped forward and you back just as he said, and continued the pattern for a couple minutes counting off before he stopped counting and merely led you about. Throughout the awkward dance (at least awkward to you) you had to resist the urge to look down especially when he decided to turn. You stepped on his toes more than a few times, but he seemed to take it in good humor. Something, considering his prior mood, you were grateful for. Just when you were getting the hang of it the music stopped and he stopped with it.
"Sorry..." you mumbled. He raised his eyebrows at this in question. "For stepping on your toes so much."
An amused smile lit up his features. "It is fine. I expected it. At least you were honest, and told me you did not know how instead of attempting to mask it. Rare for your kind..."
"My kind?" you whispered more to yourself than anyone. You weren't sure if that was an insult or a compliment.
"Humans. Many would rather try to save face and exaggerate their abilities, than admit to a lack of knowledge of something, or worse not being good at it."
"Ah..." You responded and figured that was supposed to be a compliment. You resisted the urge to thank him mindful of his outburst when you tried to before.
He began to walk back to the side of the table arm in arm with you. Many of the attendees smiled and bowed then whispered as you past. The king seemed oblivious to them. "Forgive me. I did not mean to offend you if I have." He said looking at the perplexed and troubled look on your face. "I meant it in good cheer. My kind often forget to account for the feelings of a mortal when we speak or act."
"It's fine." you said quickly with a tight smile. You knew he was right, it was just one of those pills that were hard to swallow knowing you basically represented the entire human race at the moment. He then gave you a look that sent a thrill down your spine and again it took root right in between you legs once more.
"I did mean it as a compliment to you. I am glad you came." The statement was a husky whisper paired with a lustful look. He had captured you with his storm grey eyes once more, and you felt as if you were going to drown in them. "I wish to take you somewhere."
He released you from his gaze which made you stagger for a moment. Was that a spell? Your momentary disorientation made it hard to discern if it was possible. All you knew was that he slowly led you out of the banquet hall and down a series of corridors. Downhill it seemed and then finally down a darkened path where a guarded door engraved with a vines and blossoms surrounding rubies remained closed. The guards opened the door at the king's approach and he pulled you within. The room was large and lit at first by a single fire at the other side of it. However when you and he stepped forward torches blazed to life of their own accord lighting your path.
Yet even with that light there was still little you could see, until you reached the end of the room seeing two large upholstered chairs, books lining the shelves, tables, the fireplace raging in a rich mahogany and on a perch nearby what looked like a small... dragon?! Behind it in the dim light you seen another set of wooden doors. Curious as you were, since he did not speak and did not seem inclined to sit, you assumed this was not the place he intended for you to share with him.
He smiled at the creature on the perch and held his arm out. It gave a tiny little, what you had to take as a roar, and let out an honest to God purr, then beat it's wings and flew to his outstretched arm. It crawled up to his shoulder and entwined it's neck about Thranduil's as the king turned to look at you. He rubbed it under it's chin and it closed it's eyes, giving out another little purr in happy contentment. You couldn't help staring it. Golden reptilian eyes and a spikey head regarded you and then it unwound itself about it's master and took to the wing again. You jumped and avoided the urge to swat when it landed on your shoulder.
It sniffed your hair and inclined it's long neck out to look you fool on, then wound itself around your neck and rested it's head on your shoulder with a purr.
"Is this a..."
"Dragon? Yes. Yes, he is. His name was once Smaug. But I had to force him to diminish and shrink to hide him - else man would have killed him. He is one of the last of his noble kind."
You felt the dragon rub it's head on your neck affectionately, and you smiled. "Somehow I imagined a dragon to be a bit more grander."
"He was... He was once the most feared guardian of treasure and land to be seen. Do not be fooled by his pet-like demeanor. He is just as intelligent and can be just as powerful as you or I. He chose to be this size. He once had a mate... but she is no more." His eyes took on a haunted look, and they trailed to an unlit corner of the room. You resisted the urge to turn and look. Silence overtook the room for a moment, until after being nuzzled several times by the reptile the king said with an upturn on his lips, "He likes being rubbed under his chin and on the back of his neck."
Tentatively you reached up and felt the creature basically lay his head in your palm. You scratched him under his chin and stroked him like a cat. He even purred like one. The king watched the exchange intently, a satisifed smile coming to his face when the dragon nuzzled you even more.
"He likes you... That speaks a lot of you."
"What does it mean?"
He didn't answer. He merely smiled more fully, and then raised his arm to beakon the dragon unto him. It snorted and then you felt it beat it's wings and take off. It landed gracefully on his arm, and made it's way back up to his shoulder. Once it wound it's way about his neck Thranduil held his hand out to you again, and he stepped towards the wooden doors.
He opened one with his free hand and put a hand on your back to let you know to go in first. He followed and shut the doors behind you, engulfing you in near darkness. But a second later you felt his hand in yours once more. You looked about you eyes adjusting to the night around you. In a crevice ahead of you a dim pale moonbeam shone on what looked to be still water, then a second later the room began to twinkle with what you thought were stars. Once they did, you noticed the fullness of a lake around you, and that this room seemed to be hewn out of a cave or rock. You felt his hand tighten in yours briefly and the dragon perched on his shoulder hissed and a moment later blew out a small puff of flame. You looked at each in turn, and then at the hand in yours.
The twinkling stars went out for a moment, then slowly came back to life again. You realized as you should have earlier they were glowworms. But you couldn't help imagining they were really stars. Looking ahead you seen them reflected in the pool of water ahead of you.
"I used to come here often with my wife... I have not come here since she died, until this moment." You looked up at him, aglow in the night his eyes lost in thought. "We would wade out in to the water and... love one another. Caress and touch until the moon became lit with the sun."
"I'm sorry..." It was all you could think of at the moment.
He looked at you and nodded before looking back out over the water. Your gaze followed.
"It's beautiful." You finally managed, which caused him to glance at you again, this time with a smile.
"I wanted to show it to you. I wish to share these waters with you one day," he said quietly. You almost did not hear him.
Your mouth opened in shock at the confession, and once more you seemed locked in his gaze. You turned into him and he followed beginning to lean down. Your lips almost touched his when all at once he stood straight, his attention drawn to the darkest corner of the room. You seen him bare his teeth and you could hear a barely audible curse leave his lips. The dragon seemed to be equally disturbed and let out another puff of fire in the corner's direction. You stared at the spot in question, and though you could not see anything something about the sheer darkness and chill of it filled you with dread.
"Come... Let us leave. I know you must be tired," he murmured in a stately fashion, pulling you along with him out the door.
He closed the door behind you both, crossing the room with you in tow, and settled the dragon back on it's perch. He gave it one final scratch under the chin and quickly, almost as if fleeing from something, led you out of the room.
He did not even glance back when the doors clamored shut behind him. Hastily he guided you through the corridors once again, only slowing when you met with the more well-lit paths that you were beginning to become familiar with. You and he had finally resumed a normal pace when he lead you to the doors of your room.
"Please rest." He looked away and back as if unsure what to say.
You decided to ease the tension. "I will try. Everything was very... beautiful and fascinating." You winced at the last word, but unsure how else to explain it, you let it rest at that.
He smiled and nodded. "I fear I will probably be unable to see you much tomorrow. Please feel free to roam this wing of the palace as you will."
You nodded in understanding. So, he intended for you to stay tomorrow then? What about the tomorrow after that? Was he truly going to keep his word and let you leave? You pushed the thoughts aside and smiled at him.
"Please drink some of the wine before you sleep. It will help calm you." Again, you nodded in understanding. "Rest well."
"You as well." you replied as if in automaton.
With that he turned and left, glancing back at you only once before disappearing around a corner. After you heard his footsteps fade away you went inside, finding the elf-maid from earlier turning down your bed then going to the table and pouring a glass of the aforementioned wine. She held it out to you, which with a sigh of resignation, crossed the room and took. She led you to your bed, and slowly began to peel off your refinements, starting first with the dazzling jewels about your neck. Absently, you sipped the sweet wine, feeling it's warmth fill you as if by a spell itself.
Once she had undressed you and put away the jewels and clothes, after dressing you in a silky white negligee she curtsied and left wordlessly. For a moment you thought that hers must be a very ungrateful job.
However your thoughts soon turned to the night you had just had. What was it that overtook him? Whatever it was had to deal with the shadows. Was there really something there that none of the rest of you could see? Was this king really mad after all?