𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙀𝙇𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙉.
━━ † the heart wants what it wants
"YOU MUST SET ASIDE YOUR PETTY GRIEVANCES WITH THE DWARVES," Gandalf pressured, "War is coming!" Thranduil sucked in a deep breath, rolling his eyes as he turned his head towards Sypha. She cracked a small smile at this. He was obviously bored with the conversation already. "The cesspits of Dol Guldor have been emptied. You're all in mortal danger."
"What are you talking about?" Bard questioned.
"I can see you know nothing of Wizards," Thranduil spoke as he stood from his throne, "They are like winter thunder on a wild wind...rolling in from a distance, breaking hard in alarm." He brushed past Sypha, pouring himself a glass of wine, his blue eyes glancing up to meet Gandalf's gaze, "But sometimes a storm...is just a storm." God. That voice of his mixed with that look in his eyes could be enough to bring her to her very knees.
"—Not this time," Gandalf said, causing a scowl to form on Thranduil's perfect features, "Armies of Orcs are on the move. These are fighters. They have been bred for war. Our enemy has summoned his full strength."
"—Why would he make his move now?" Sypha butted in, which she was always doing.
"Because we forced him. We forced him when the Company of Thorin Oakensheild set out to reclaim their homeland," the wizard answered, turning around and beginning to walk outside Thranduil's tent. The others followed after him, listening as he continued to speak, "The dwarves were never meant to reach Erebor. Azog the Defiler was sent to kill them. His master seeks control of the Mountain. Not just for the treasure within...but for where it lies, it's strategic position."
Sypha looked towards Thranduil, strands of her long brown hair blowing across her face due to a gust of wind. He seemed as if he could care less for what the wizard had to say. She wondered why he was so quick to dismiss Gandalf's theory. The wizard continued to speak, "This is the gateway to reclaiming the lands of Angmar in the North. If that fell kingdom should rise again...Rivendell, Lorien, the Shire...even Gondor itself, will fall."
Thranduil tilted his head slightly, "These Orc armies you speak of, Mithrandir...where are they?"
"SINCE WHEN HAS MY COUNCIL COUNTED FOR SO LITTLE?" Gandalf questioned as he paced around the tent, puffing his pipe, "What do you think I'm trying to do?"
"I think you're trying to save your Dwarvish friends," Thranduil replied simply, eyeing the tall wizard as he continued to pace, "And I admire your loyalty to them. But it does not dissuade me from my course." He swiftly stood from his throne, his features contorting into a glare, "You started this, Mithrandir. You will forgive me if I finish it." Sypha rolled her eyes a bit as she poured herself a glass of wine. Thranduil, again, brushed past her, beginning to walk towards his soldiers. Why did he have to do that? Just the slightest touch gives her butterflies.
"Are the archers in position?"
"Yes, my lord," Feren answered.
"Give the order," Thranduil said, narrowing his eyes and tilting his chin in the air, "If anything moves on that Mountain...kill it." Feren nodded before setting off to fulfill his king's command. Sypha's eyes widened as she turned to look at the elf, her lips parting. "The dwarves are out of time." No emotion was held on his face as he spoke.
"You there," Gandalf called towards Sypha, grabbing her attention, "Do you agree with this?"
"No, I don't, actually," she said as she looked back at Thranduil. "My friend is up there in that mountain. You can't just order your guards to attack anything that moves."
"I gave you the chance to reason with them, and you did not," Thranduil said, "my decision is final." Sypha narrowed her eyes at him.
"Is gold so important to you? Would you buy it with the blood of Dwarves?" The wizard suddenly questioned with pure disappointment.
"It will not come to that," Bard told him, "This is a fight they cannot win."
"—That won't stop them," a familiar voice said, stepping into the conversation, "You think the Dwarves will surrender? They won't. They will fight to the death to defend their own."
Gandalf lit up at the sight of the hobbit before him, "Bilbo Baggins!" Sypha immediately snapped her gaze down over towards the little hobbit. An uncontrollable smile spread across her face as she made eye contact with her friend. She rushed over to him and bent over to give him a firm hug, almost spilling her wine in the process.
"Oh, god. I'm so glad you're here!" And she meant it. Sypha hated the fact that he was previously in that stupid mountain with that stupid stubborn dwarven king. That's why she was so happy; because he had finally come to his senses. He was here next to her...safe. She pulled back, squishing his cheeks like an over-affectionate grandmother would, "Ugh, I missed you." Bilbo felt his cheeks heat up as he awkwardly laughed, grinning up to her.
"I, uh...missed you, too," a flustered Bilbo said.
"--If I'm not mistaken..." Thranduil spoke up, elegantly sitting himself atop his throne, "This is the Halfling who stole the keys to my dungeons from under the nose of my guards."
Bilbo pursed his lips as his gaze fell towards the ground, "Yesh...sorry about that." Thranduil glared down at him, clearly still upset with the whole ordeal. Sypha found herself trying not to crack a smile or let out a little chuckle. Not only did she think Thranduil's pissed off face was funny, she also loved the tension between the two. But, of course, she wanted the ElvenKing to go easy on her poor little hobbit friend. Still holding her glass of wine, she strolled over towards Thranduil, plopping herself down onto his lap. His face flustered with surprise at her wild behavior, his eyebrows furrowing together in confusion.
"All is forgiven, Bilbo," Sypha told him reassuringly. As the ElvenKing was about to say something, Sypha adjusted herself on top of him, causing him to intake a sharp breath. She made herself comfortable by scooting backwards until her back was pressed up against his chest.
Clearing his throat, Bilbo spoke up again, "Right..erm, thanks. Uh, anyways, I came to give you this." He unraveled the cloth, revealing a holographic stone which glowed brightly.
"The Heart of the Mountain," Thranduil breathed out in disbelief, his eyes widening a bit as he leaned forward, Sypha still being planted on top of him, "The King's Jewel..." She began moving on top of him again, and he quickly shot his hand up to grab her hip, silently telling her to stop moving. The close contact was beginning to become too...unbearable for him.
"And worth a king's ransom," Bard exclaimed, rather shocked as well, "How is this yours to give?"
"I took it as my 14th share of the treasure," The hobbit answered matter-of-factly.
"Why would you do this? You owe us no loyalty."
Bilbo shook his head, "I'm not doing it for you." A short silence fell upon the tent before he spoke once more, "I know that Dwarves can be obstinate...and pigheaded...and difficult. They're suspicious and secretive—with the worst manners you could possibly imagine—but they're also brave, and kind...and loyal to a fault." He smiled halfheartedly, "I've grown very fond of them, and I would save them if I can."
Bilbo motioned towards the stone, "Now, Thorin values this stone above all else. In exchange for its return, I believe he will give you what you are owed. There will be no need for war." The others shared a look with one another, and it was clear they had a lot to think about.
THE TENT WAS FILLED WITH A PEACEFUL SILENCE NOW THAT THE OTHERS HAD LEFT, and it was just Sypha and Thranduil. The ElvenKing sat upon his thrown, watching as the vampire poured herself another glass of red wine. "This isn't my preferred beverage, but I guess it'll do," her voice rang throughout his ears. The tent's tan colored curtains were shut, swaying a bit with the light gushes of wind that would sweep by every so often.
Thranduil continued to sit in silence, his eyes still trained on her like she was the most peculiar thing to observe. Sypha grasped onto the edge of the table as she took a sip of her wine. Her headache from before, as well as the nausea began to make another unfortunate appearance. But like always, she tried to ignore it. She was beginning to grow weaker, and she knew it. Even though she had drank Thranduil's blood hours before, the constant growing hunger never stops. And that's the scary part.
"Staring's rude, you know," she smirked lightly, knowing that the elf was watching her from behind. Her smirk didn't last long due to a debilitating, killer pain that shot to the right side of her temple. Groaning softly, she rubbed the spot, trying to massage some of the pain away. Thranduil sensed that she was having another wave of symptoms from not eating.
You see, vampires need to consume blood on the regular to be considered...healthy. To keep their strength to the fullest; to keep their eyes the most vigilant—to keep their hearing the sharpest. Sypha was undoubtedly lacking in these areas. She suddenly heard shuffling from behind her, and then not long after, she felt the presence of the ElvenKing beside her. She glanced up at him, noticing his hard expression before rolling her eyes and taking a drink of her wine.
"I'm not in the mood to hear it," she began, sighing deeply.
"You need to eat something," the elf told her.
Sypha licked the wine residue from her lips, "I don't need to."
"You should eat som—"
"—Stop fucking telling me what to do," She suddenly snapped out of frustration, shooting a glare his way. Soon after, she realized how rude she came off, but she didn't mean it. Thranduil's face held no emotion as he held his chin slightly higher in the air, his eyes never leaving hers. She closed her eyes shut and leaned her head down, pieces of her long, brown hair falling in her face.
"I'm sorry..." she said softly, sighing as she began to trace her finger around the rim of the glass. "It's just—" She gulped harshly, stopping herself before she could say anything else.
"Something troubles you," Thranduil deduced, "Tell me what it is." God. His voice was so soothing. It made her want to tell him about all of the skeletons in her closet. Every dusty, dirty last one.
"When...when I was young, around four or five—or maybe even six..I don't know, I can't remember exactly," She began, still messing with her wine glass, "I was taken from my family by a nest of vampires. The...head of the council took a liking to me, so he decided to take me under his wing. Me being a child, I didn't know what the hell I was doing. He knew that, too—and he took advantage of that." Thranduil watched her body language, visibly noticing that she was getting uncomfortable.
Her voice sounded so..dead as she continued, "When I was old enough, he turned me into one of them. He taught me how to hunt; how to kill. He turned me into a monster." Hot tears began to blur her vision, "It got to the point that I couldn't control myself anymore. My hunger controlled me. And innocent people paid with their lives."
The elf spoke, "That is why you ran away before.." She nodded, a few tears spilling down her cheeks, her lip quivering slightly.
"He took everything from me..." He hated seeing her this way—He'd much rather have the loud and obnoxious vampire who's always cursing about something or insulting someone. After a moment, she heard his rich, deep voice.
"Sypha," Thranduil called her name. She slowly glanced up at him, another tear trickling down her face. "You are not what others make of you." His words fell heavily upon her beating heart. He reached over to wipe away her tears, tucking her hair behind her ear and letting his hand rest there. "I see the real you." His touch sent electricity through her veins, making her heart rate increase drastically.
He looked at her with such a gentle gaze, "You are not a monster." His words were just what she needed to hear. Sypha suddenly wrapped her arms around him and embraced him, resting her head on his chest. He immediately pulled her closer, holding the back of her head with his steady hand. A few more tears trickled down her face as they both stood there holding each other.
"I admire you for trying to keep yourself disciplined," she felt his deep voice rumble in his chest, causing her to shiver. "But you need to take care of yourself." Thranduil suddenly let her go, causing her to look up at him. He brushed his hair out of the way, tilting his head to the side a bit. His beautiful pale skin on his neck was revealed, his complexion shimmering under the candlelight.
Sypha furrowed her eyebrows, meeting his perfect blue eyes, "What are you—"
"—Eat, Sypha," Thranduil cut her off. Her doe eyes widened as she stared back at him, her lips parting slightly in disbelief.
"—What? No, I don't trust myself—"
Thranduil called her name sternly, "Sypha." He suddenly reached up, placing a gentle hand on her cheek, rubbing his thumb against her soft skin. "I trust you." She held his gaze for a little while longer before glancing back down towards his neck. She licked her lips and gulped thickly.
She couldn't resist.
lawd i've been gone FOREVER and i'm so sorry y'all, but yayyyy!!!! i updated and here's another chapter!! enjoy! ~ ❤️