~~O~~
He was watching her, Lenneth realized with a shiver, glancing over in his direction out of the corner of her eye.
The elf maiden was sitting under the trees with a book, wondering why she had not chosen this particular method of escape before.
It was peaceful.
Quiet.
Undisturbed, more or less.
That was, until a certain blond elf decided to stick his pointy nose...and ears into it.
"What are you doing here, Lenneth?" Legolas sneered as he advanced towards her.
She stiffened, her afternoon's peace lost forever.
"I do not see how that's any of your business, mellon nin." she said, closing her book. The pages made a rather final sound as they met between her palms.
"Anyways," she continued, looking up at him, "what have you been doing back in Ithilien?"
"Looking for some trees to climb," he replied, pulling out a joke on her.
But Lenneth just stared at him blankly, lifting her chin defiantly and praying he would go away.
The prince sighed, "Fine." he said, gripping a branch of a tree in front of her more firmly. The next thing Lenneth knew, he was sitting across from her in two seconds. Unfortunately, across from her was not much better than next to her. What had seemed like a peaceful, easy place only moments ago suddenly became a prison of sorts to her.
Legolas did not seem to feel this same awkward closeness. He leaned back at a tree trunk and closed his eyes. They sat like that for some time, Lenneth stiff and perhaps a little scared, while the other completely relaxed.
"So," he said at last, cracking an eyelid.
"So...what?" she replied, staring fixedly off into the distance.
"Oh, for Eru's sake, Lenneth, look at me. I don't bite." Legolas complained finally.
She looked at him and saw that he was leaning forward, looking at her irritably. Something in her expression made his face soften.
"Lenneth," he said softly.
"Why am I the last to know?" she immediately asked.
"I would rather hear about your marriage straight from you than hearing it like a wildfire news."
"You do not understand." He reached out, gently but firmly cupping her chin in his hand, feeling her flinch just slightly at the touch as he turned her face towards him.
"What is it that I do not understand?" She snapped, cursing the slight tremor in her voice.
"My marriage was indeed a news, but I have not told them yet who am I going to wed." he replied easily.
His thumb came up, stroking her cheekbone so gently she wondered if she was imagining the touch.
"How puzzling." Lenneth stated flatly, looking at the ground again.
"Would you look at me?" Legolas gripped her chin more firmly, tipping it up, turning it towards him.
She obliged, noting a strange look in his deep blue eyes. A gentle intensity, if that made any sense.
"I want you to be the first to know who she is." he whispered, his face suddenly closer to hers, eyes searching her face, still stroking the delicate angle of her cheekbone.
He could feel her skin, so warm and smooth, on his palm and thumb. It was just how he imagined, and he yearned for it to be more. He longed for more than just close proximity.
"I only meant—"
She cut him off. "It's fine. You do not need to tell me," she added, meeting his eyes.
Legolas sighed and reached out, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Lenneth," he whispered, and then his lips were on hers.
It was soft, and gentle. His hands rested loosely on her waist, not pulling her in or keeping her at a distance, but simply being there.
She debated, briefly, about whether to kiss him back or fight him off. It was never much of an argument, though, and soon her hand was touching his cheek as she kissed him back.
At last they broke apart. She rested her head against his shoulder as he brushed his lips gently against her neck.
"It is you, I want to marry." he whispered, lifting his head to look her in the eye.
"Why…why me?"
"Why not you?" he asked.
"I do not know," she muttered softly.
"Gi melin," he murmured in her ear. "Will you accept me?"
"Yes," Lenneth replied, tears rolling down her eyes. "I love you too."
"I know how much you love me and you hope I'll never leave." Legolas said.
"So you knew all along," she smiled.
"Yes."
Lenneth had kept having to remind herself to breathe.
"So…what happens now?" She asked the elf prince.
"Well," he said, lifting his head, "Let us tell everyone!"
She laughed and allowed him to lead them back to the palace.
~~O~~
A light gust of wind, barely more than a soft exhalation of breath, eddied gently around Thranduil as he soundlessly made his way through the forest. His feet effortlessly followed the well-worn path through the heavily laden trees as he headed towards a specific spot of his woodland.
A tiny smile touched his lips and he sighed softly as he continued to silently make his way through the woods. Knowing the wars and strife that had plagued his realm, he was relieved that the forest survived it all.
He finally felt the peace.
The trees began to thin around him, the sunlight breaking through the leaves above rousing him from his thoughts and he smiled as he picked up his pace. A few moments later he finally reached the path, the impossibly green grass carpeting the floor of the glade whispering softly against his boots as he closed the last few yards to his true destination.
Thranduil stood at the foot of the great tree that shaded the clearing. The tiny shafts of sunlight that found their way through the heavy canopy of leaves above made the dews glitter like diamonds. With an inaudible sigh, the king glanced at the overlooking view of the forest. Smiling softly, he now realized why his wife loved this particular place.
It was beautiful.
Soft footsteps closing in caught his attention. Thranduil glanced back to watch the only other person who knew about this place approaching him.
"How is our daughter?" he asked with a grin.
Mirialia exhaled quietly and smiled at him. "Still taking her nap."
"She was up late last night and spent her time with Legolas." the queen added.
"Palace life does not suit her, it would seem." He muttered, more to himself than the woman standing in front of him.
"I suppose it does not," Mirialia agreed softly as she moved closer to him. "But whether it suits her or not, she is our princess."
A small smile crossed Thranduil's face. "Now I know why you and Tauriel love this place."
He looked back at the beautiful view. "You can see the world from here."
"Oh you should come with me here at night to gaze at the stars." Mirialia said as she stood beside him.
She glanced at the king and was surprised at the unwavering stare Thranduil now had fixed on her. But before she could question the look, the king continued, "Eru did bless me and my kingdom, by having you in my life."
Caught completely off guard, Mirialia simply stared at her king in stunned silence, desperately trying to hide the sudden surge of emotions that nearly knocked the breath out of her.
Before the queen could even gather breath to formulate a reply, Thranduil leaned closer and stared at her intently.
"I do not have any desire sailing to the West." he said. "My home is here, in this realm. With you, with my family. I vow not to leave this forest. Will you do the same?"
A resounding yes suddenly echoed up from deep within her soul. And Mirialia understood. The thought of going to the West had never occurred to her, and yet she was not surprised by his simple revelation. Because it was simple, Thranduil loved the forest so much. That was why he likely had never considered it, she realized.
Smiling wide, she threw herself into his arms, hugging him. "Yes. I will not leave you, Thranduil."
Tightening her hold even more, one tear did manage to slip down her cheek against her will as his arms slipped around her and she mumbled against his chest, "I will spend the rest of my life here with you, even if it take thousands of years."
Thranduil remained quiet but she felt his unspoken reciprocation when he held her even closer. For several moments she was content to simply stand there within the warmth of his arms. She reluctantly extracted herself from his embrace and glanced up at him with a smile. "Well, I say you should be ready then."
"For what?" her husband asked.
"For being a future grandfather, hm?" Mirialia replied. "Oh worry not, my love. Rest assured that you will be the most good-looking grandfather."
A gorgeous smile lit up Thranduil's face as he inclined his head and Mirialia ducked her head to keep him from seeing the blush she could feel warming her cheeks. Had he always been that good looking? Yes, he must have been. She scoffed at herself under her breath and shook her head as she claimed his hand.
Thranduil leaned closer to her face and cupped her cheek.
"Gi melin." he whispered before gently pressing his lips onto hers.
"I love you, Thranduil. My Elvenking."
~~O~~
I have died every day
Waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid,
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed
I would find you
Time has brought
Your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
~~ A Thousand Years by Christina Perri
~~O~~
*I'm not a big fan of Twilight but I chose this song for them. I loved it so much. For me, it's the most perfect theme song for our royal couple. So, please don't hate me for using it.