TRIGGER WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS THEMES SUCH AS GUILT, GRIEF, SLIGHT THOUGHTS OF DEATH, AND THE PHYSICAL TOLL THESE CAN TAKE ON THE BODY. PANIC ATTACKS ARE EXPLORED AS WELL.
PLEASE, IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING WITH ANY OF THESE THINGS, REACH OUT TO SOMEBODY. ANYBODY.
IN THE U.S. YOU CAN CALL THE ANXIETY HOTLINE AT (866) 903-3787.
FOR THOUGHTS OF DEATH, IN THE US YOU CAN TEXT OR CALL THE NUMBER 988, AND IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY ROUTE YOU TO THE HOTLINE.
BOTH OF THESE ARE 24/7 NUMBERS.
-
Thranduil felt guilty and it was no secret anymore as to why.
Legolas hated him. And with that hatred, his most grievous sins were laid out before his beloved's family, dwarves, Lord Elrond, and Lady Galadriel.
His son hadn't talked to him in two and a half weeks, and Thranduil no longer believed that battle was the best for the future. How was he supposed to? Azog was dead, but his son's well-being shouldn't have been the price. Legolas deserved to learn of his mother's fate from him, not from anyone else.
Hatred burned into his very soul, testing his fae in ways it hadn't been in a long time. The truth about the demise of Esselyth had swarmed the kingdom like wildfire. And now the weight of eyes felt heavier than they ever had, like the sheer power of them could force him into Mandos' Halls.
He had thought about that multiple times in the last two weeks: going to Mandos' Halls and begging Esselyth to return to their son in the Undying Lands.
He couldn't do it.
Call him a coward, but he could not bring himself to hurt another person in his attempts to heal another. If his plan succeeded, there would never be a future for him and Violet. An elf could never have two living spouses.
Maybe that made him selfish instead of a coward.
Because should not his son come first, even before his own happiness?
If that was true, then Thranduil knew that he was doomed. He loved her. With his entire soul and every breath in his body, he loved her. She was the last thing he saw before he entered his dreamlands every night and the first thing he saw every morning when he exited them. She was the light in his life, guiding and teaching him with every move she made.
He was a wise immortal, yet Violet had taught him to look past his own pride and stubbornness. She had taught him that love and companionship was possible once more.
These were the thoughts that plagued his mind that day. Final preparations were being made for The Feast of Starlight, which was set to begin in six hours. Thranduil rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands and knew that a presence had stepped beside him. The ellon didn't bother to look, instead opting to cross his arms and continue to watch everything.
It wasn't Legolas or Violet, and he wasn't in the mood.
The presence stayed. Thranduil side-eyed the new being, who in turn was looking at him already. Gray-blue eyes stared at him, followed by a heavy-set brow. Elrond pursed his lips when Thranduil turned his eyes back to the front.
"How are you?"
"I do not believe my well-being is your business, Elrond," Thranduil said.
"It becomes my business when your fae begins to affect you physically," Elrond said, leaning in closer to whisper, "Your eyes have bags when they shouldn't. Your cheeks are beginning to sink in when they shouldn't. Make your peace with this. Legolas needs you well and healthy now more than ever."
"Not your business," Thranduil hissed, walking away to a different portion of the room. He looked at the ellons working and said, "Did Heriion tell you to put those that low?"
"Thranduil," Elrond said, coming beside him once more. Thranduil ignored him, listening to what the worker had to say.
"No, my lord," the ellon replied.
"Put them up higher, please. People of my height could hit their head on that."
"Yes, my lord."
The Elven-king gave a slight smile to the ellon, bowed his head and moved on. Elrond fell into step with him once more and said, "Did you not see him watching you with concern just now? A simple ellon who most likely has never truly spoken with you before."
"Goodbye, Lord Elrond."
The Elven-lord pursed his lips, turning on his heel and leaving. Thranduil watched him with calculated eyes. The nerve of some people! To come into his home and lecture him with advice he didn't ask for.
"My fae is fine," Thranduil mumbled bitterly. He was purposefully ignoring the ache that had permanently settled in his chest. The only time it ever lightened was when one of four things happened: he saw Authanar, he saw Violet, he saw Flufflepuff, or he saw Legolas. Usually though, the ache settled back tenfold when he was reminded of what he had done by the look of hatred settled on his little leaf's face.
Legolas was always a happy baby. He giggled, and he giggled loudly, then giggled harder at the sounds of his own laughter coming off the stone walls. It's true, Legolas was a mama's boy, but he still had ginormous smiles reserved for his father and his father alone. Never had he ever looked disappointed to see his father. Never had he looked like he loathed seeing his father.
Thranduil sighed, closing his eyes to keep the tears from falling. He steadied himself, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He had done it a lot recently, and found it was the only way he could focus on getting things done. Heriion may have been the one to plan the feast, but Thranduil was still the king. Duties needed to be taken care of, and helping to direct the set-up of the feast was one of them.
"Feriion, the Great Hall does not need massive amounts of chairs!" Thranduil called, "Our people will mostly be standing for the entire night." He shook his head, looking at the ceiling. He mumbled, "You would think this was not a yearly event."
Thranduil watched for at least another hour, directing where to put things when they were put in the wrong place, while managing to only lose his temper once. He rubbed his temples with his fingers, removing the metal circlet from his head for a moment. Massaging his head the best he could, he continued walking towards the seamstress's room and put his circlet in place once more.
Because it was the day of the feast, the royal seamstress was ensuring nobody in the royal family needed any last-minute alterations. It was her job to make sure they always looked in tip top shape, and she was who Thranduil and Legolas went to when designing gowns for Violet. Originally, Thranduil had only meant for her to have enough clothes to keep her while she was here.
Then, he saw the way her eyes lit up at them and just how gorgeous she looked. Her joy was a contagious one. And now... well, now he would give her a new dress every hour if it pleased her, or a new pair of trousers, a new tunic, or any piece of clothing her heart desired.
Accepting the robes she handed to him, he stepped behind the changing curtain and moved quickly, not wishing to waste any time. He folded his old clothing and placed it gently on the stool at the edge of the curtain, before stepping around it and back into view of the rest of the room.
The Elven-king stepped onto the platform like the elleth directed him to. She was a lady who had lived here for longer than he had. In fact, Thranduil was sure she was at least one thousand five hundred years older than he was. She was a kind lady, one who was especially enjoying the raise she had gotten when Thranduil and Legolas sprung the extra person on her.
While she poked and prodded at him, dragging the measuring tape in various places, the door opened. Legolas walked in with Violet behind him, laughing at something she had said. Violet spotted him first, and Flufflepuff on her shoulder was next. The small animal squealed in happiness and Thranduil knew it was that which led Legolas to turn around, his face already twisted in anger. His eyes were hard, his jaw was clenched, and his lip was lifting up just the slightest.
"Legolas," Thranduil said, giving the young ellon a smile. His smile was not returned, and Legolas promptly turned on his heels, marching out of the room. Thranduil watched, before he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. When he reopened them, Violet still stood at the door, watching and waiting to ensure that he was okay. She smiled at him, her eyes crinkling in the corners ever so slightly.
When he gave a small smile back, she grinned and walked out of the door to catch up with Legolas.
Oh, how he would carry that smile with him to get through the day until they could be alone tonight.
A squeak sounded from the floor, and when he looked down, Flufflepuff was there jumping up and done, waiting for Thranduil to pick him up. The Elven-king bent down, extending a hand to his small friend.
"Hi Flufflepuff," he whispered, and pressed a small kiss to the top of his head. He put the creature on his shoulder, allowing him to get situated. Maybe Violet's smile wouldn't be the only thing to get him through the day.
Communication with Flufflepuff may have not been the same as communication with another elf, human, or dwarf, but the Pygmy Puff did well in ensuring Thranduil knew his feelings. This small creature knew how to tell Thranduil that he loved him, even without words. The ellon always knew what Flufflepuff was trying to say.
Thranduil squeezed his eyes when the animal burrowed into his neck as best he could. The small action made his eyes burn and his fists clench, and part of him was regretting this. Who needed their clothes to fit perfectly! Not him. Not when the alternative was the ability to be alone for a few hours, building up the strength to face his citizens in the light of this new information.
"My lord," the elleth whispered, "It needs to be taken in at the waist just an inch."
Thranduil nodded, keeping his eyes straight to avoid her eyes. The ache settled in stronger, and the urge to scream pounded on his chest like a thief trying to escape into the night. The ellon stepped off the platform, going back to change into his day robes. When he was finished and walking towards the door, he said over his shoulder, "Thank you."
He offered a small smile to the woman and accepted the one she gave him in return. When he was out the door, he walked as quickly as he could without looking suspicious. His rooms were not far from here and right now, the palace felt overwhelming. He nearly felt like he couldn't breathe when he pushed the doors open to his chambers, slamming them shut behind him and collapsing onto his couch with a strangled sob.
He tore at the clothing on his chest, barely registering Flufflepuff jumping off him with a frightened squeak. The cool air hit his chest, but it did nothing to calm the burning feeling in his throat. Pulling his circlet off too, he looked at the room around him, surprised to find that it was spinning slightly. His heart was racing, and while his feet were freezing, his face was hot like dragon fire, and he placed a hand against it.
Shrugging his robes the rest of the way off, he paced around his room. Was this fading? Had he managed to fade in such a short time? He didn't want to fade.
"Please don't let me fade," he whispered and sobbed once more, "I don't want to fade. I'm not ready to fade."
His hands were gripping at his hair, tugging the roots. Flufflepuff's squeaks in the background were only serving to overwhelm him, but even in his intense state he couldn't bring himself to be angry with the small creature, nor could he scold him.
"Thranduil," someone whispered behind him. He didn't turn around, too busy focusing on the different feelings surrounding him. It was a familiar presence, that much he knew, and that the presence was feminine.
Violet.
She walked in front of him, approaching him slowly. "Come on, let's sit down." He allowed her to guide him to a chair and sat down with her kneeling in front of them. She put her hand on his thigh, but when he jerked suddenly at the touch, she removed her hand and calmly put it back down by his side. "Darling, you're alright. You're doing fantastic, and we're going to get through this together, okay? We're a team."
He nodded, staring terrified into her eyes. She instructed him on how to breathe, counting off and breathing with him. His feelings did not subside, but he found the breathing felt infinitely more refreshing than the air that was in his throat before. It was like the first drink of cold water after a long day of training.
"Is there anything you need?" she asked.
"My hand," he said, "Hold it. Rub it."
She grabbed his hand, using her thumb to rub back and forth. She tried not to hold his hand too tight, and for that he was grateful. It took at least ten minutes of that for whatever bubble of anxiety around him to pop. When it did, he found breathing was even easier than before, and somewhere along the line, the room stopped spinning. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and allowing his head to fall back against the chair.
He huffed a sigh out.
"Thank you, Violet," he whispered. He lifted his head, smiling slightly as she rubbed his knee.
"Did you hurt yourself anywhere?" She grabbed at his palms, checking them and letting her eyes go up his arms. They wandered across his chest next, stopping on his sternum. "Aha!" A tiny cut was there, and she pressed her wand to it, watching as it healed.
Standing up from her crouch, she walked over to where his discarded robe was. His eyes followed her as grabbed them off the floor, examining the clasps on the inside. "You definitely broke a few. No worries. We'll get it fixed and get a new robe for now."
While she was talking, Thranduil felt something nudge against his boot. He looked down, and there was Flufflepuff, who, while terrified, still wanted to make sure he was okay. The mighty Elven-king felt his eyes sting once more as he slowly extended his hand towards the Pygmy Puff. Thranduil saw Violet watching them in his peripheral vision but kept his gaze on his friend.
"I'm so sorry," Thranduil whispered. Did he know any other words lately? "I did not mean to scare you, mellon nîn."
He nearly broke out in sobs when Flufflepuff made no hesitation to jump with a squeal towards him, fully flinging himself. He knew Thranduil would catch him, no matter what.
He still trusts me implicitly.
How things had changed to have such a small revelation almost sent him spiraling once more. He let Flufflepuff sit on his shoulder, easing himself upright, before walking towards Violet. He gently pulled the messed-up robes from her, laying them across the arm of the couch. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her flat against them, feeling her warm hands pressed into his bare abdomen.
"I do not know what I would do without you," he said, pressing his lips against her forehead.
"You may have gone mad by now," she teased him, winking at Flufflepuff who did his own version of a laugh.
"I am certain I would have," he said seriously. She smiled lightly, rubbing her thumb along his jawline. As her hand slid downwards, her thumb ended against the base of his neck, and Thranduil slightly cringed away, shoulders rolling to get away from the feeling.
"Tickles?" she asked with a grin. Thranduil rolled his eyes as he nodded with pursed lips.
"Unfortunately."
"Well, then instead let's go get you a new robe. I hear it's unbecoming of a king to walk around topless."
"And here I was thinking you would like my attire."
Violet blushed, wiggling out of his arms and grabbing his hand. Bending down, she grabbed his discarded circlet, before walking the both of them to his bedroom door and down the stairs, allowing him to grab his own robe.
All the better, he thought, What kind of king cannot pick out his own attire? Even more so, what kind of grown ellon cannot do that?
Brown leggings...
His eyes scanned his robes, trying to find one that would match. Instead of his robes, his eyes landed on his favorite golden tunic, long sleeved and sturdy, with a backing that reached the floor. It was high neck and had a golden tree branch brooch to match. He placed Flufflepuff down, reaching into his closet and pulling out the clothing.
He pulled it around his shoulders, beginning to fidget with the clasps that held the item closed on his body. He was almost done when Violet was in front of him again, placing his circlet upon his brow and closing the last of the clasps on his chest. When she was finished, he brought his hands up to cup both of her wrists, moving up to her hands. He brought them to his lips silently, placing a kiss on them and after just leaving them there, not wishing to part just yet.
"Thank you," he whispered into them.
"We're partners, darling," she whispered back, "It comes along with the deal, and I happily agreed to it." She was silent for a moment, playing with the brooch on his tunic. "Do you want to talk about it?"
He shook his head. "No."
"Okay." She smiled, before biting her lip. "I'm sorry, but now I have to go to alterations."
"Go. 'Tis alright. I'll be alright." She turned around, making her way towards his stairs to leave. "Violet. How did you find me?"
"You're loved by your guards. One stayed watching, while the other ran to find me."
"But... Legolas--"
"Was away taking care of his duties for a moment."
Thranduil smiled, looking towards the ground. When he looked back up, Violet looked at him once more before disappearing around the corner. Her mere presence had managed to lift his spirits, and the Elven-king knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would never be far from her. If death came for her, he would follow. And if she decided to go to the Undying Lands after death, then he would fight Mandos himself to be the first face she saw.
He heard squeaking by his feet, and when he looked, Flufflepuff was there, looking up at him.
"Do you want to know a secret?" he asked, bending down to scoop the small animal up. When the Pygmy Puff tried turning his tiny head to the side with a questioning sigh, Thranduil said, "I love her." He gave his own version of an 'oh', scurrying up the Elven-king's arm to sit on his shoulder. Thranduil grabbed him off his shoulder, pulling him back down to look into his eyes. "What does that mean?"
'Already knew.'
Flufflepuff scurried back up the ellon's shoulder. Thranduil pursed his lips, nodding his head ever so slightly. Walking towards his desk, he stopped at the edge and grabbed the sword that he had left this morning. Attaching it to his person, he took the secret passageway out, desiring to avoid as many people as possible. The ache had settled back slightly in his chest, but at least now he felt more equipped to deal with it.
Sluggishly, he walked through the dark passages, feeling Flufflepuff curl closer into his neck, clutching him to make sure he didn't fall off. The more commonly used passages were coming up, and he could see the light from the sconces bouncing off the wall. He turned the corner and up ahead was the door leading into a side hallway.
He paused behind it, taking a deep breath.
'Darling, you're alright. You're doing fantastic, and we're going to get through this together, okay? We're a team.'
He leaned his head against the door, letting Violet's words sink into his brain.
"We're a team," he repeated. Pushing the door open, he stepped into the hallway, turning to the right to be able to walk out the doors of the palace. The feast portion of the night would be outside, under the stars as the woodelves were meant to be. In the times past, when this forest was still called Greenwood, the stars would be visible, and dancing would never be inside.
When he pushed open the door, Galion was there waiting for him.
"My lord!" Galion called, standing beside Heriion, "Heriion was asking if you wished for everyone to still sing the tribute to Elbereth this year."
"Of course I do," Thranduil said, crossing his arms against his chest, "She is the one who gave us the magnificent starlight, and deserves to be honored for that."
"But, my lord," Heriion said, "The spiders--"
"Will not be roused by one simple song." Thranduil smiled slightly, choosing to ignore the looks Galion and Heriion were exchanging after. They said nothing about his appearance and the weary look on his face. If there were any two ellons outside of his family who knew when not to push him, it was these two. "Wait! Wait! Don't put that there!"
Thranduil walked away from the two, stopping another ellon who was attempting to hang some decoration from the tree. He directed him to a better place on a different tree, nodding when he walked away. Clasping his hands behind his back, he watched as the royal table was set up. It was much bigger this year, large enough to accommodate the dwarves and other visitors. In fact, it was the table they used for Violet's birthday. Truthfully, the table was meant to be a place for elflings, but most of the dwarves were around the same height anyways, save for Thorin, Dwalin, and perhaps Bombur.
The Elven-king hoped beyond belief that tonight would go smoothly. Now more than ever it needed to. Between the visitors, his and Legolas's obvious rift, and the news of Esselyth, the kingdom needed a night to just relax and have fun before everything turned horrid with a battle.
Flufflepuff squeaked and Thranduil placed him on the ground, watching as he jumped in the leaves on the forest floor with a slight smile. Legolas stepped into the clearing at the moment, and movement very obviously stopped, only to begin again when Thranduil shot a glare around them.
He swallowed, trying to look unaffected and keep appearances, but it was a habit of Legolas's when he spotted Thranduil to come over. It was normal, and people know when normalcy is disrupted. Royals got very little privacy; it was just a fact of the lifestyle. His son walked out the other side of the clearing, seemingly intent on going to check on a nearby patrol. The ellon knew Legolas could feel his eyes watching; he could see the muscles on his back tensing.
A yelp from Flufflepuff is what made the Elven-king snap out of his own mind, and when he looked down, the animal was on the floor whining, limping towards him. Thranduil bent down, kneeling on the ground to check over the crying animal.
Except he perked up and was back to normal when he noticed the ellon was staring intently at him. Thranduil sighed, shaking his head with an amused smile.
"You small faker!"
He trotted off with a happy squeak once more, just full of himself to trick Thranduil so. With the Pygmy Puff by his side, the time until the feast seemed to pass much quicker. The woods had come together, almost glittering in the sick forest. The trees were singing a song only audible to elven and Gandalf's ears, and Thranduil briefly wondered if Earth wizards could hear them too.
He would ask Violet later.
He walked away from the clearing, hearing the small steps of Flufflepuff behind him following. The walk to his chambers went by decently, and for the first time in two weeks, Thranduil found himself with a familiar zest for The Feast of Starlight. A candlelight flicker it may be, but it was still there, and he chased that warmth, if even only for a few hours.
Eagerly walking to his closet as soon as he entered, he filed through. The feast was casual, and Thranduil would not be wearing his kingly robes tonight. Nobody would, actually. Though, truth be told, he was extremely tempted to tell the dwarves otherwise to see what would happen.
Pulling out a forest green suede tunic, he paired it with his brown leather boots and brown leggings. His hair would be pulled up into a half-up, half-down style, with a snake braid going down his back. And that was it. That was his outfit. There were no crowns or nobles tonight, just simple elves gathered together to venerate one of the purest lights in all of Middle-Earth.
He had ten minutes to be where he needed to enter the feast and so he told Flufflepuff to find Violet. As the little Pygmy Puff ran off squeaking with every step, Thranduil took one more second to breathe and find his center, focusing on the little happiness he had managed to find about the feast. If he repeated it to himself, he would start to believe it, even if not for long.
Authanar and Legolas were already there waiting for him, and though Legolas would not speak to him, he would not shirk his duties as a prince of the realm. They stood as a trio, Legolas on his right and Authanar on his left. The Elven-king dared to sneak a peek out the corner of his eye, and his heart nearly gave out then to see Legolas already looking at him, turning his head to the front at the sight of his father's eyes.
The doors opened, and the three ellons walked out, smiling at the many citizens who had come today. Anybody who could make it was all in one small area, and anybody who couldn't had set up their own feasts for the night back at their homes with their neighbors. The elves clapped, as the royals walked to their table for the night.
Violet somehow managed to get squished between Draco Malfoy and Thorin for the night, but it was still within talking distance. She looked beautiful, and Thranduil forced his eyes away from her, lest he stared too long.
While Legolas sat on his right and Authanar to his left, Thranduil continued standing, allowing the trees to carry his voice to even the farthest elves gathered there.
"My great people," he began, scanning the crowd with his eyes, "Tonight we are gathered to celebrate the starlight and all it brings to us. It is pure, a guiding light in times we need it most, such as these. And for it, we hail Elbereth, who created the starlight that we first saw as we awoke. May she continue to bless us for the days to come."
He nodded at the small choir gathered, who began to sing the hymn of "A Elbereth Gilthoniel". All the elleths began singing, harmonizing together. Some had their eyes closed, truly taking the lyrics to heart, while others held onto their loved ones in happiness for the time they had today with each other.
The ellons, including Thranduil, began singing when it was their time to.
"Gilthoniel! O Elbereth! Clear are thy eyes and bright is breath. Snow-white! Snow-white! We sing to thee in a far land beyond the Sea!"
The song continued, and as Thranduil sang, he was watching his guests. Harry and Ron in particular looked slightly awkward, but were still respectful, and did truly look to be enjoying themselves. Draco looked entirely in his element, and Thranduil was sure when dancing came he would be more so. Hermione looked to be caught in a dream, watching the sights around her with a look of awe upon her face.
Violet...
She looked to be enjoying herself, smiling between Legolas and Thranduil sitting together, as if it was some miracle. The witch looked particularly interested in the song, rocking side to side in her chair ever so slightly, as if she didn't know she was doing it.
He tore his eyes away from her, looking at the dwarves. Most of them were at least trying to be respectful, not fiddling with anything during the song, but they did still look bored. Elrond and Galadriel were the next ones in his line of sight, and Thranduil found himself pleased that they were singing and going along with the Mirkwood traditions. Gandalf was next to them, looking content, and dare Thranduil say happy to be where he was. He seemed significantly less stressed than he had been since he arrived, as if his big grand master plan was going accordingly. Bilbo was happy, if the serene smile on his face said anything. Above all, he was like all hobbits, who enjoyed the comforts of home, and what was more comforting to a hobbit than good food and a sweet song?
When the song ended, the calm, yet jovial atmosphere of the feast commenced, with food being served and many elves walking around, mingling.
"Many blessings to you and your family, my lord," an ellon said, walking up to the royal table and bowing his head. Thranduil stood up, smiling at the man politely, and walking around the table.
He shook the ellon's hand as he said, "And the same to you."
The Silvan elf looked around Thranduil's shoulder, and so did Thranduil. He was looking at Violet, who was eating her food contently, laughing at something that her brother said. The ellon cleared his throat, but to no avail.
"My lady," he said. Still, nothing. The ellon tried once more. "My lady."
Nothing. Thranduil smiled, placing his hand on Violet's shoulder. The witch looked over her shoulder, surprise flickering through her face, and she scrambled to stand up, nearly knocking her chair over if the Elven-king had not caught it.
"I'm-- uh, my apologies," she said, "I didn't realize you were trying to get my attention."
"'Tis quite alright, you have nothing to apologize for, my lady," he said, "I just wanted to thank you. If it was not for you, Valar only knows what the Dark Lord would have attempted. You are strengthening our defenses in the north."
She smiled, bowing her head. "Thank you."
The ellon said his goodbyes, bowing his head to the king and lady, going back to his family with the promises that Thranduil would come meet his family with Violet when he made his rounds around the feast (and then with the added if it please you). The Elven-king turned to Violet.
"Good job," he whispered, pulling her chair back out for her, "You handled that well."
"I didn't hear him and tripped over my words," she whispered back.
"Nobody has the grace and poise for monarchy politics the first time," he argued, "I did not. Legolas did not. Authanar certainly did not."
"I did not either," Thorin pointed out, clearly not being shy about listening to their conversation. Thranduil swiveled his head about to Thorin, pursing his lips. Do I?
I shouldn't.
He turned his head back to Violet, and agreed, "Thorin did not." The look of surprise upon the dwarf's face was enough to send Thranduil's amusement skyrocketing. It was worth it to not say anything at first, but one must always remind their non-preferred ally that they aren't friends. "He still does not."
Thorin grumbled, turning back to his chicken and picking at it with his fingers. Thranduil gave a look of self-satisfaction, choosing to ignore the dwarf's poor table manners, but then saw Legolas's eyes watching the interaction. The pair met eyes, and the prince looked away. Thranduil felt the ache in his chest once more and looked away and back to Violet. She gave him a small smile, sitting in the chair that he had pulled out for her.
When Thranduil sat back down across from Thorin, he noticed the dwarf giving his best impression of what the Elven-king could only think was meant to be sympathetic. Thranduil froze, hand wrapped around his goblet, and the other clenched into a fist. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes slightly widened.
Slowly, he nodded his head in acknowledgement at the Dwarf king.
Then, they went back to ignoring each other. It was the best way this partnership would work. Small jabs here and there, then ignoring each other the rest. They would work together in the end, no matter how irritating that truly was to Thorin, Thranduil, and Thorin's kinsman who had the horrid half-bald excuse for hair.
Dinner remained an awkwardly polite affair, or perhaps that was just the air permeating between himself and Legolas. It seemed to grow thicker and thicker until Thranduil felt like words, any words, may burst from his chest against his will. He just decided to swallow those thoughts down while he ate his chicken, hoping no other visitors would come up to the table until he was done eating.
He looked towards his son, biting the inside of his lip. "Will you be--" He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Will you be coming to greet the citizens as per usual, ioneg?"
"Yes, my lord."
He heard Legolas grunt, and only caught the tail-end of a look between his son and brother. And when he caught Authanar's glance over Legolas's head, Thranduil shook his own. Changing directions, and remembering the question he meant to ask, he looked at Violet.
Leaning towards her, but still keeping a respectable difference, Thranduil asked, "Can you hear the music from the trees?"
"Music?" Thorin asked.
"My oh my, Violet, how different you look today," Thranduil said drily, "Not much like you to have dwarven clothes and a beard. I must say, I hate the change."
"Me too," Violet said, "I don't think I'd look nice with a beard."
"On the contrary," Thorin interjected, "I think it would increase your beauty greatly. You could look like a proper dwarvish woman, albeit a very tall one."
Violet smiled politely, but Thranduil could tell she disagreed. "And I'm certain dwarvish women are beautiful, but my face would not look good with a beard."
Thorin was a second away from speaking when Thranduil interrupted him, "The trees?"
The Elven-king was certain having Thorin Oakenshield praise Violet's beauty if she grew a beard was a conversation he did not want to hear. Thranduil quite liked her beauty as it was, because it fit her. She didn't need to fit into anyone's standards to be beautiful. The way her red hair flowed down her back, the small beauty mark on the right side of her chin, her round face and full lips. Her eyes. Oh, her eyes.
"Yes, I can hear them," Violet said, "What makes this different than all the other times?"
They sparkled with compassion. They rained hellfire on her enemies. They showed her insecurities. They showed her love for him, and he knew she did. He wondered when they had progressed that far, if there was a particular event that made either realize or if it just happened, much like the rest of their relationship.
"The Feast, or, rather, the gathering of elves in their midst."
She nodded. Thranduil stood out of his chair, grasping Legolas's shoulder to get his attention. He ignored Legolas shrugging the hand off as he too stood up, instead opting to look at Violet. She was already watching the situation with tensed shoulders, eyes darting between the pair. When they stayed on Thranduil, he nodded his head slightly to the side, gesturing to the rest of the elves. The witch understood, standing as well, and waiting for the two men to walk around to her. Flufflepuff squeaked from his spot on the table, bounding over to her as quickly as he could. She set him on her shoulder just as Thranduil reached her.
A hand tucked into the crook of his elbow, and nails scraped the sturdy fabric of his tunic, digging into his arm underneath. And just like that, his burden was easier to bear.
The citizens spoke excitedly to their prince and king, and that was just how the royal family liked it. Thranduil and Legolas were more than just their king and prince, they were their kin. This was unlike Violet, who was at worst receiving curious, but guarded, glances. Nobody seemed unhappy she was there, which was more or less what he expected. Sure, they had known she'd been here for a bit now. And sure, the elleths and ellons in the palace had grown used to her presence, most sending her kind smiles when they saw her in the halls.
But this was the first time the citizens truly got to interact with her. Thranduil was no fool of political games. He was a cunning and resourceful man. Dragging Violet along on this trip made his people get used to her. He and Violet hadn't talked about what happened after this battle was over, but it hadn't been the right time or the right place in their relationship. Still, Thranduil would rather prepare his people for her to stay indefinitely. The best part? Nobody knew what he was doing save for himself.
Then the guilt came slamming full force into his chest when one citizen kissed his ring, exclaiming their condolences about Esselyth. Here he was, secretly parading Violet around, all the while forgetting that it wasn't just Legolas who had to mourn Esselyth.
By all of the Valar, had he truly become a bad person?
And all of this because he was a coward. Too cowardly to say what had happened to his late wife to not even the kingdom, but his own son!
Oh, what a tangled we weave, he thought bitterly. It was something Violet had said in the past fortnight to describe the ongoing situation and their relationship. She had said the author was a man by the name of Sir Walter Scott, whoever that was. Thranduil tried hard to forget the last portion of the quote, but his mind rebelled. When first we practice to deceive.
Violet's nails pressed harder into his arm, and it anchored him down to earth just enough to recognize reality instead of his own thoughts. Legolas was bowing his head in thanks to the elleth in front of him, and then she turned to Thranduil. This elleth was older than him, perhaps by a millennia, but no more than that.
She bowed her head. "May your sword pierce the flesh of many orcs on the battlefield, my lord."
"Thank you," he replied, "It is our duty to Arda to never let evil overtake."
"And the dwarves?"
"We need all the allies we can get. Arda is their home too."
The elleth paused for a moment, eyes narrowed, but at last she smiled. "You have always been wise, and it has always made me proud to have you as my king." She turned to Violet. "May you, young one, guide these forces in the correct direction, the direction to victory. And you." --She looked at Flufflepuff-- "May you keep them all sane on the difficult task ahead."
"Thank you, my lady," Violet replied with a smile on her face, though it was slightly overpowered by Flufflepuff's loud mouth.
The elleth laughed lightly. "I am no lady."
The trio moved on, moving from family to family before they found the ellon from earlier with his family. It was him, his wife, what seemed to be a fully grown son, followed by a set of triplets that contained two girls and a boy.
And then soon enough, Violet was kneeling in front of the three youngest children, entertaining them with stories and songs while Legolas and Thranduil talked to the mature elves. Still, one ear was trained on the conversation in front of him, with the other distinctly listening to Violet with the elflings. Likewise, his eyes stayed in front of him, but she never left his peripheral.
It put a feeling in his chest, one he couldn't explain. Violet seemed to do that often nowadays. Stir up feelings of old that he no longer knew how they felt or even what they were. The children giggled, and Thranduil couldn't help but to look, just to see the sight clearly at least once in his lifetime. As luck would have it, everyone else looked too, and Thranduil would call them blessed to see such a sight.
Violet was kneeling on the ground, sitting on the back of her heels. All three children were attempting to grab onto her hands in some way as she told them an animated story of her childhood. Flufflepuff was calmly sitting in the middle of them all.
"And all of a sudden, Aunt Marge blew up like a balloon, sporting a pig nose and a tail to match!" Violet said, giggling with them.
"She should not have been mean! Nana says that people like that have problems inside themselves," said the oldest, the first girl. Violet nodded, smiling lightly, eyes bright and happy.
"Your nana is right."
"Like a disease?" asked the second oldest, the next girl. Thranduil watched as Violet rubbed her thumbs across the elfling's own.
"Kind of," Violet said, "Hate is a disease, and many people are plagued with it. But it's not a disease that degrades the body, but instead the mind."
"Like our fae!"
"Yes, like your fae."
The youngest, the boy, shuffled slightly closer to Violet, face full of fear. "Will it affect mine?"
Violet shook her head rapidly. "Oh, no. Not yours! Never yours. You, sweet boy, are far too nice and good to ever have that happen."
The boy gave a great dramatic sigh, blushing and rushing to his older brother's side when the elves laughed slightly. The two girls also went to their oldest brother's side, and so Violet came back to Thranduil. Flufflepuff moved from his spot as well, squeaking at Thranduil until the Elven-king abided by his wishes and bent down to set him on his shoulder.
"He seems to like you," the father of the family said, "I saw him at the table with you both earlier... What is he?"
"A Pygmy Puff," Thranduil said, "He comes from Lady Violet's homeland."
The next moment was when the kids swarmed in around him. Evidently, their father asking gave them enough confidence to finally speak to the creature. It was Thranduil's turn to kneel to the ground, holding Flufflepuff in cupped hands.
"Scratch his side," he whispered to them, as if it was some great secret, "He loves it. It's his favorite spot."
"What's his name?" the oldest girl whispered back conspiratorially.
"Flufflepuff."
"'Tis strange," the little boy commented.
"I know!" Thranduil said, winking at the boy when Violet scoffed, "However, it grows on you over time."
"Can I hold him?"
It was the middle child, the youngest girl, who asked the question. The problem was the question was directed at Thranduil.
"Well, you need to ask Lady Violet," he said, pointing at her, "This creature belongs to her."
"Can I hold him?"
Violet grinned. "You may."
Thranduil passed Flufflepuff from his hands to the elfling's, and he honestly wasn't sure who was more excited. Flufflepuff looked as though he may have a permanent squeal after this, and the girl was beginning to have a grin so large he was afraid her face may split.
"But wait," the older girl said, "What happened next with Aunt Marge?"
"Well, my brother and I left. We hopped on the Knight Bus by total accident, all because Harry held his wand out in front of him. From there, it was a long and wild ride to London. The bus would stop quickly, and Harry and I would hit the front glass! An absolute wonder our faces weren't bruised. And even more than that, the magic in the bus made us this big!" She gestured with her hands a small amount of space, gasping along with the three children. "Magic is a wonderful thing."
"Can we see it?"
Thranduil watched as Violet looked to the mother, and his eyes followed, catching the tail end of a nod. Violet brought her wand out from her side, gave it a wave, and a blue wisp came out the end, ending in a badger. The children laughed and giggled, but the patronus stayed where it was, waiting for instructions from the witch.
"Tell Harry Potter I said 'hello'," she said. The patronus nodded, bounding off on a quick trip to Harry who sat across the clearing. It reached him in under ten seconds, and Thranduil watched as Harry looked over to Violet, who waved and subtly nodded to the children who were watching with amazed expressions. Their eyes were wide, mouths dropped, and they clutched onto one another. The wizard laughed, casting his own patronus, a stag, to send a message back.
The stag stopped in front of Violet.
'Hello, dear sister.'
The children gasped, giggling with delight with each other. For a while longer they begged and asked for more displays of magic. Violet obliged, doing her best to think of the most harmless spells she could. Thranduil was reminded of the time that she was irritated with himself and Dwalin during an early morning meeting. She had made bats fly out of the dwarf's nose. As much as he wanted to step in and remind her of that, he valued having her on his side more.
All too soon, the magic show came to an end, and so did the feasting portion of the night. It was time to move onto dancing. Thranduil walked quickly to his own chambers. His robes had already been delivered there, and he made quick work of dressing.
The robes were silver mostly, with cornflower blue threading throughout. It was tight to his upper body but loosened near his hips and flowed completely to the floor. A belt came around his hips as well, just to give some separation between his top half and bottom half. Fabric hung off the belt, coming down and stopping when the fabric split.
It split down the middle near his knees, Thranduil's own preference. He found it easier to walk that way, as he took much longer strides than most, both because of height and his own emotions. The sleeves were long and came to a rounded point on the middle of his hand.
People wouldn't really see much of his leggings, but Thranduil would know which ones he had on, they would match. They were a dark purple gray, with the boots to match. Over the top of his robes, he wore a long vest that was the same colors as his leggings and boots. On his shoulders leading to just above the middle of his back was a pattern of faux metal mesh, woven to look like tree limbs with sparse leaves.
He put on a ring of silver on his right middle finger. It was brightest in the center, prongs extending outwards. It went over the edges on either side of the neighboring fingers. Diamonds were placed in a manner that made the light emanating darker as the ring extended.
On his left index finger, he placed a ring the color of his vest arranged in a manner that looked like tree branches. And to finish, he put a smaller identical ring on his left pinky. Walking to the table in the room, he looked at the crowns he had sitting there.
Simple, or more dramatic?
And, frighteningly enough, Thranduil realized he wished for the simpler circlet. And now I am losing my flare for dramatics!
He sighed, unwrapping his hair from his braid, redoing it in a different manner. His hair was braided close to his head, leading back to join into one braid that hung down his back. Tiny braids were made from some remaining strands, and he swooped them back up and pinned them underneath the other braids, until they formed what looked like a half-oval. They were loose, and so would swing if he walked a certain way.
Reaching down onto the table, he picked up the simple silver circlet, a vast difference to the autumn crown of large branches and red berries he expected to wear. The circlet did look like it would weigh less. Placing it gently on his head, he looked into the mirror. It was perfect.
Nodding to himself, he began to walk towards the door. He loved dancing with his kin. And even though they were bound to be a little reserved with all the visitors, elves knew how to throw a party; at least one that they would enjoy. Thranduil reckoned there would be too few ales and rowdiness for the dwarves to consider it fun.
Oh well, if they wished to bore themselves to death in their rooms, who was he to object?
The walk to the Great Hall was a quick enough one, and not many had entered the space. Gandalf, Authanar, Legolas, along with Draco Malfoy were already there, and he begrudgingly moved to stand beside them, looking out over the Great Hall and hoping no one started a conversation with him.
Over time, more and more elves filtered in, along with Violet, Flufflepuff on her shoulder, and her family. He felt his breath catch in his chest as she and they walked over. She was wearing an A-line velvet dress in the color of emerald green, one of his favorite colors, as she once correctly pointed out.
It was held tight to her upper body in a matching corset-style belt. It came down into a slight V-neck, going up and around her shoulders. The sleeves were tight against her skin until just above her elbow, where they split open to reveal a satin material of the same color against the back of the velvet. A similar color to his own purple gray outlined the filigree, highlighting it in a subtle way if it hit the light correctly.
Her hair was braided back on the sides, and when she turned her head, he could see it extended down her back. Where the two braids met to form the one, there was a hair pin around them, wrapping outwards like branches of silver, with emerald green gems scattered about.
She was beautiful, and with the confidence surrounding her, she knew it. And that made her even more attractive.
His eyes slid over the group, seeing Harry and Ron, who were wearing what he could only assume was formal wear on Earth. Hermione was the last one he laid eyes on, and his lips curled up.
She was wearing one of Violet's dresses. He knew that dress. He designed that dress. It was one of a deep maroon, and he knew there was a cinch in the back to help the woman fit into the dress more accurately.
Violet nodded her head at him with a smile, consciously trying to look casual, he assumed. She walked over to Legolas, and Thranduil nodded at a guard. The guard tapped his staff on the ground, alerting the occupants of the room.
Thranduil cleared his throat. "After a wonderful meal together under the stars, we now gather here to mingle in friendship amongst ourselves and our visitors. To start off the night, we will begin with a traditional elvish dancing circle."
The Elven-king clapped, and the band began to an upbeat tune. Quickly, elf after elf fell into a circle, locking arms and dancing around. It was a fluid dance that changed directions quickly and laughter filled the air. Thranduil was pleased to find some of it was his own, and when he looked around the entire circle, he was even more pleased to find some of it was Legolas's.
The elves didn't miss a beat when the song changed, and it didn't take long before everyone had found a partner and were celebrating the starlight in one of the purest ways possible. Thranduil found Lady Galadriel, knowing it was only proper that he danced the first dance with her. She was a noble elf, Noldor or not.
"My lady," he said, bending down to kiss her hand.
"My lord," she replied. He led her around the dance floor, passing Legolas and Violet, who were laughing almost uncontrollably. When she nearly stepped on his toe, they laughed even harder, and Thranduil felt a grin pulling at his face. Galadriel followed his smile, mimicking it when she also saw the sight.
"How are you two?" Galadriel asked, and the ellon wasn't entirely sure whether she meant himself and Violet, or himself and Legolas. He couldn't keep up well with who knew their secret anymore. He just knew Legolas did not. So, he settled for a generic answer.
"Fine."
Galadriel seemed to realize she would get no better answer out of him and diverted to a different topic. "Before I came here, Celeborn asked something of me."
"And what was that?"
"To leave with an alliance between our two realms."
Thranduil tensed. "You know how I feel about those, my lady."
"I do, but I also know that with evil growing, we need all the allies we can."
The Elven-king sighed. "My council has also asked this of me the past two council meetings." He paused for a moment, rolling his lips together. "I... I will think about it."
It was the best answer he could give, and Lady Galadriel knew this. "You will make the best decision for your kingdom. I shall await that answer then, my lord."
They danced for another two minutes, before she was swept into Elrond's arms, quickly dancing out of sight. Thranduil himself was swept up into a dance with an elleth he did not know. He led her around the dance floor, twirling her around. They had no conversation, and the elleth did not push to. He danced another with her, before stepping off the dance floor and walking towards the dwarves.
They were tapping their foot to the beat of the songs but were moving no more than that.
"You know," Thranduil started, "'Tis not a crime to have fun at a party you were invited to."
"Aye," Thorin replied, "But that is our business."
Thranduil quirked a brow, smirking. "Very well."
A few feet away was the drink table, and that was where the Elven-king went next. Pouring himself a glass of Dorwinion, he stood, watching as a great number of elves danced around the Hall. He trailed the edges, just watching and observing. Legolas seemed to be dancing with Hermione. Harry and Ron were dancing together, and not far away was Gandalf and Violet.
The old wizard twirled the young witch around and around again, until she was nearly falling over from dizziness. Thranduil brought his cup to his mouth to hide the smile that was growing there. Moving about the room, his eyes landed on Authanar, who was dancing with Tauriel.
He remembered his secret was not the only one that got revealed that fateful day, and briefly he wondered if the young elleth would be brave enough to dance with her -- very questionable -- love.
Strange as he found the relationship, Thranduil would not bar the two from dancing together. Morally, it would be wrong. And that wasn't all, either. While more conventional than a dwarf-elf relationship, his own relationship still went outside of the norms of elvish culture, and he would be damned if anyone ever tried preventing him from dancing with Violet.
Another hour passed, and very few people had left the dance floor. He danced amongst his people, alternating between partner dancing and group dancing, depending on what the song was best for. Still, Legolas remained out of arms reach the entire night. When another hour passed, still nothing.
Another song started, and for this song, Violet was in his arms. He placed his hand on her waist, grabbing her right hand with his left. He laughed with her as he led her around the dance floor, twirling her in circles, tossing their arms around and maneuvering under them in a silly move.
"Are you having fun?" he asked over the music. She nodded enthusiastically.
"A lot!" She huffed out, sweat beading on her brow. He ceased the questions then, just being content to listen to Flufflepuff's happy squeaks as he held on tight to Violet while she danced around. And when he looked over her shoulder, he was stunned. She stopped dancing as well, quickly turning around to see what had his face so.
The dwarves were dancing. Granted, it was in a group away from the elves, but it was still on the dance floor, and not at the edge of it.
"Not what you expected, huh?" Violet asked, lightly nudging him with her elbow and grinning when he looked at her. He shook his head.
"Not at all."
It wasn't until Violet laughed that he looked back at her, allowing her to slip him back into the dance. They danced the one, and his eyes kept drifting back to the group of dwarves.
"This really has you surprised," she said when they walked to the drink table. She took a sip from her cup as he watched the crowd once more.
"Elves and dwarves are not natural allies."
"I believe we have this well-established."
Thranduil gave her a flat look, but cracked and smirked, nonetheless. "It is not an unusual occurrence for elves and dwarves to fight together against a common enemy, but we are making history here tonight. Elves and dwarves, dancing together, sort of. Not to mention you and your family being here."
Violet nodded, smiling slightly. "And none of it would be possible without yourself or Thorin."
"Or you," he said, looking out the corner of his eyes. He watched as she nodded.
"Or me."
It wasn't until the end of their second dance that he caught her actually yawning.
"We've barely started!" he said.
"We started three hours ago! That's a long time for one human to dance," Violet argued, "I don't have your elven stamina yet. Remember?"
"Exactly, yet," Thranduil said, looking at her with raised brows, "Next year, you'll be able to keep up with us for much more of the night."
The words hit them at the same time. Violet said nothing, and he was thankful. This was not the time or the place to talk about such things. It wasn't a huge declaration. No, they hadn't talked of the future, but they both knew they wanted one.
"I like your arms in these robes," Violet said, squeezing his shoulder just a little tighter.
"Glad to hear they have your necessary stamp of approval," he teased.
"Anything that makes you look this good has my stamp of approval."
"Aye," he said, smirking at her. When Violet left, she bid her goodnights, taking a very reluctant Flufflepuff with her. It was for the best. No matter how excited and happy the tiny creature was, he was nearly falling over from exhaustion. The elves would only go for another two hours at maximum. All the wizards had left, Gandalf included, and the dwarves had basically scattered by now as well.
When the time came for his own goodnights, he took the common pathways to his own chambers, and pushed the spot on the wall when he made it inside his bedroom. He made quick time to Violet's own chambers, knocking to alert the witch of his presence if she was still awake, before opening the spot. She was getting up from the bed as he walked in, and his brows furrowed. She was still dressed in her clothes from earlier.
"I thought you were going to lie down," he said, confused as she took his hand and led him to the middle of the room.
"I was," she said, "Then I thought about holding you close and dancing just once slowly in this beautiful dress."
She wrapped one arm around his neck, letting the other settle around his shoulder. She laid her head lightly on his shoulder, and he wrapped his own around her waist, holding her tight against him. They swayed together amongst the silent room.
"My beautiful Violet," he whispered, placing his lips against hers. It must be simply impossible to tire of her lips. It was like he was a starving man, and them a delectable buffet. When they pulled apart, he pressed his lips to her forehead, bringing the sides of their heads to rest gently against one another.
He felt soft lips press hard into the side of his neck, and a sigh was heard as she rested their heads together once more.