"I'm gonna knock down their fort!" I yelled, arming myself with two large pillows. "Cover me, Larika!"
Larika popped up from behind her chair-cushion-barricade and hurled a wadded-up blanket at the boys' fort. Situated in the far corner, the front wall was made of the mattress from my bed, and the mattress from the servant's room created a protective roof. Dwalin had literally run through Larika's and my storm of pillows and fetched it when our throwing arms proved up to the challenge.
"Incoming!" Legolas barked from his vantage point on the bed frame. Dwalin poked his head out and launched a decorative pillow at my head, which I narrowly dodged. From experience I knew that once I was out, Larika wouldn't last long. And then we'd both be subjected to standing in the corner and having all the pillows thrown at us repeatedly, as punishment for losing.
It'd already happened twice. That humiliation would not happen again.
"Toss me some ammunition!" Legolas shouted.
"We're out!" Dwalin shouted back.
"Larika, charge!" I shrieked.
She barreled out from behind her barricade. "For Erebor!" Together, we stormed the boys' fort. I tossed her one of my pillows, and she charged Dwalin's side entrance. I, however, had a certain Elf to deal with.
He leapt from his perch to meet me head-on, streams of his gold hair falling around his shoulders in disarray. I swung my pillow at him, and he hopped back just in time to dodge. I swung again, and he dodged again.
Poumph...someone behind the mattress just got hit..."Backup!" I shouted to Larika. Please don't let her be out please don't let her be out...
"She's out," Dwalin answered smugly. He lumbered into view, carrying Larika's pillow. "Would you like help, Pointy-Ears?"
"My thanks, ally," Legolas grunted, deftly avoiding another blow. "But she'll require the swiftness of an Elf to take out...ammunition!"
Dwalin tossed the pillow to Legolas, who caught it and blocked a swing in one smooth movement. And suddenly I found myself beating a retreat.
"Dang swordsman!" I yelled, swinging at his face.
Legolas sidestepped. "Swordsellon," he corrected. "And yes, I am." He smirked and came after me with a flurry of attacks.
I held my own well enough, narrowly missing him a couple of times, and Legolas narrowly missing me more than that. It was only when his arm dropped mid-attack that my counter-swing hit him square in the ribs.
"Ha!" I exclaimed, and did a little happy dance around my motionless fiancè, smacking him repeatedly with the pillow. "I got you, I got you, I got you!" I didn't care why he gave up, just enjoyed my victory—
—Until I noticed Thranduil standing in the doorway. Lips parted in shock, and eyebrows raised.
I gasped and dropped the pillow. "Your Majesty..." I dipped into a curtsey, kicking myself for changing into my more comfortable Shadow Walker shirt and trousers after learning of the ongoing pillowfight.
Larika squeaked and dipped into a curtsey, and Dwalin made a vague bow.
King Thranduil pursed his lips, eyes sparkling. "Wise, ion nin, working this out of Her Majesty's system prior to your wedding night."
Legolas moved his lips, but no sound came out.
Thranduil's neutral expression twitched into a suppressed smirk. "Assuming, of course, that this is indeed Queen Amariel you have beating you senseless with a goosedown pillow."
"Forgive me, King Thranduil," I said, dipping my head in embarrassment. "But in my defense, Legolas attacked me first."
"That is not true!" Legolas squawked indignantly. He whirled on his father and pointed to his nose. "She hit me square across the face with no provocation whatsoever."
Thranduil barked a laugh. "I admit Legolas, I had my doubts, but I can see now that you two will make a fine couple."
"Ada!" Legolas's tone took on a slightly whiny note.
He gave a burdened sigh and entered the room. Closing the door behind him, he said, "Evidently I will have to coach you both in the art of a proper pillowfight." Thranduil swept off his crown and set it on a de-cushioned armchair, then removed his outer robe and draped it over the back. Now wearing his more maneuverable tunic and leggings, he strode over to Legolas and me and motioned for me to hand him my pillow. "You see, Amariel, the art of pillowfighting is in the performance of a feign." He swung the pillow at Legolas's head, and when Legolas ducked, Thranduil swung it right back around and smacked him in the face. "Like so."
Legolas sputtered and launched an attack on his father, and laughing, Thranduil met him hit for hit. "Eda!" Legolas yelled, his face flushing red, "I demand you honor our coming marriage alliance and come to my aid in battle!"
And thus began our fight anew.
* * *
"As king of these halls, I declare this battle paused!" Thranduil bellowed, standing at the center of the frenzy. Legolas hurled a small pillow, and it whizzed across the room to smack Thranduil in the back of the head. His hair poufed out around his face, and he staggered a few steps. He whirled and pointed at Legolas. "And I declare that hit void! Did you not hear me say pause?"
Legolas threw his hands into the air. "You just said pause because you left yourself wide open!"
"He has a point," I piped up.
"Doesn't matter," Thranduil retorted. "Because I am the king, ion nin...not you."
A timid knock came to the door. "Your Majesty? Prince Legolas?" The guard, Brasdir, poked his head in, carrying a tray of food.
Thranduil huffed. "What do you want?"
Brasdir ducked his head. "Prince Legolas requested his and Queen Amariel's meal should be brought to her chambers—shall I bring it back later?"
"No," Legolas said, straightening from behind his mattress fort. "I am quite hungry, and I wish to speak with Eda." He glanced at me. "Privately."
My heart thumped, and I nodded. I wanted time alone with my betrothed.
Dwalin cleared his throat. "Well, Larika, I suppose we should retire for the evening. Queen Amariel, you know where to find us if you need anything." He dropped his pillow ammunition and placed a hand on Larika's back, guiding her toward the servants' room. I didn't miss the blush coloring her cheeks, and I hid a smile.
Sighing, Thranduil smoothed down his hair and dropped his own pillow. "I suppose I have my own matters to attend to. Rest well." He snagged his crown and outer robes, then swept out of my room. Brasdir, too, hastily left the tray on the bedside table and hurried out, pulling the door shut behind him.
And then Legolas and I were all alone.
I met his gaze, and he stared at me for a long, weighted moment. He dropped his head and pursed his lips, folding his hands behind his back. "I suppose we should clean up this mess," he murmured.
We said little while straightening the war zone. The mattress went back on the bed, pillows rearranged along the headboard, and cushions returned to their respective furniture. That done, Legolas sank onto the edge of the bed, patting the space beside him.
Sensing that he wanted to talk about something, I sat beside him and looped my arm around his. "What is it, melleth?"
He finally met my gaze, eyes betraying anxiety. "Much is happening, Eda...there is trouble in Gondor."
"Gondor? Is that where the others are?"
He nodded. "Denethor has all but waged open war against Aragorn. Aragorn refuses to leave Gondor, but there's already been two assassination attempts foiled."
I covered my mouth. "What of Boromir? Which side has he taken?"
Legolas's eyes darkened and flicked to glare at the corner. "I cannot tell. He refused to speak ill of Aragorn—but he resides in his father's halls. Even as his true king is forced to hide and flee in his own kingdom." Bitterness saturated his tone.
Unsure what to say, I tentatively placed a hand on Legolas's leg. When his expression softened, I said, "Don't worry about Aragorn's safety—he's good at hiding, and he could rally his own army if he needed to."
Legolas released a long, weary sigh. "Quite true, but Gondor is already waging a losing war against Mordor—they've lost too many men already, and few remain in the city that aren't women and children." He laid his hand over mine, fingers intertwining with mine. "Which is why I've returned home. Aragorn cannot successfully fight two wars at once, even he knows this. I hope to convince my Adar to send an army."
So much war. I sighed and rested my head on Legolas's shoulder. "Tell me the truth, Legolas—will we ever win against all this darkness? All this evil?"
He shifted, looping an arm around my waist. His other hand cupped my cheek, guiding my face up so that I looked into his eyes. "I have a compelling reason to not let it overcome us." He leaned in and kissed me, lips warm against mine.
I kissed him back, twisting toward him to loop my arms around his neck. He maneuvered me onto my back, stretching out beside me, and kissed me with a little more fervor. Then his affection traveled along my cheek and down to my neck.
My head fell to the side, eyes sliding shut with pleasure. "I've missed you so much," I whispered. "I tried not to think about you, tried not to worry...but I did."
He ran the length of his nose along the side of my neck, nuzzling into my hair a little. "Likewise."
Chills ran along my arms. My fingers gripped the hem of his tunic, tugging.
Legolas sighed and reluctantly pulled back to meet my gaze. "We really ought to abstain."
My lower lip slid out, and I narrowed my eyes at him. "I've seen you without a shirt before."
His chuckle rumbled from his chest and filled the room. "Under different circumstances, melleth. I don't think it wise to tempt oureslves." He kissed me one more time, briefly, then sat up. He kicked his boots off, then crossed his legs at the ankles on the bed.
I sat up also and propped my arms against the bed behind me. "So...how long before the celebration feast?" My heart gave a nervous thud. Not because of the feast—because of what came afterwards.
"As soon as possible," he answered with a weary smile. "Aragorn is in mortal danger—I must bring backup to his aid immediately." He reached over and laid his hand over mine. "And I am very eager to make love to my wife."
Heat flooded my cheeks, not unpleasantly. He wanted me. And by the Valar, I wanted him, too. "Legolas...are you nervous?"
Color tinged his ear tips. "Yes." He gave me a bashful smile. "But if my Adar can figure it out, I certainly can."
I giggled, trying to imagine the pristing, put-together Thranduil getting flustered with some poor elleth.
"What about you?" Legolas asked.
I blinked, then nodded slowly. "Yeah...I am." I smiled, embarrassed, and shrugged. "But I know you'll take care of me."
He sighed, shoulders drooping a bit. "I wish we had more time. I wish the forces of evil weren't bearing down on us, getting stronger by the minute. I wish I could court you properly, without the pressure of politics or time constraints." He ran a hand through his hair, movements jerky with agitation.
I placed a hand on his knee, searching for the right words. They came with a memory—a memory of childish bitterness and resentment. "So do all who live to see such times," I murmured. "But...that's not for us to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."
Legolas met my gaze, and a warm smile lifted his mouth. "Indeed." He let out a long sigh, then stood. "You should rest, melleth—I will ask my Adar if the feast can be tomorrow. I do not enjoy this waiting." He smirked and leaned in to kiss me.
I put my arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I love you Legolas...and I'm very glad that you're here."
"You as well," he responded, finally pulling back. He gave me a lingering smile, then said, "Sleep well, my beloved. Tomorrow neither of us shall sleep alone."
I shivered, partly with excitement and partly with nerves. "Good night, Legolas."
He picked up his boots, gave me one last smile, then walked out the door and shut it behind him.
***Author's Note***
Thank you so much for everyone's patience with me in the last few months. A lot of exciting things have been happening in my life, especially in the last week...I went to a writers' conference!! I met with real agents, editors, and publishing representatives for my original novel, and while there is still a lot to do, there were open doors almost everywhere I looked.
Just as exciting is the people I've had the AWESOME opportunity to meet. Not people that can get me published or make me famous, but two individuals that have already made a massive impact on my life and my writing: elvenmystery and CJ_Callahan. Both of these wonderful women came to the conference, and the three of us had a BLAST together. Wattpad couldn't have asked for a better representation, if you ask me.
It is my deepest wish - aside from being a #1 New York Times Bestselling author - that next year we have even MORE wattpadders come to the conference. This one is basically five days of intense learning, meeting with people in the business, and just being in an uplifting and encouraging writing community like no other. I highly recommend it for anyone serious about taking their writing to the next level.
I'm not being paid to advertise. This is something I believe in and will go back to again and again.
If you want more information, private message me. I'll tell you about my experience with conferences (this was my third), and I'll send you a link to the website. I would strongly suggest at least looking into it, these conferences are a shortcut past the book proposal sludge pile, and I know people in real life that have gotten published as a direct result. Plus, if you come, you can meet me!! :D
I love you all, thank you for reading. <3