The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings -oneshots II

Visitors - Legolas

Warnings: bratty behavior from a princess and death threats, self doubt
Word count: 3100 (woo, it's a long one!)
Other: -
Requested: by sunshvnemila

Legolas falls head over heels in love when a neighboring kingdom visits in hopes to arrange a marriage. But his feelings are not attached to the princess everyone (including she) hopes but on a servant of hers.

Legolas didn't know how it happened, but it just did. He hadn't meant to fall for you, but it had just happened. The visitors had arrived two months ago, the two kings wishing to arrange a marriage with their eldest children, but didn't have the heart to just thrust them together. They had decided that they would see if the two were a suitable match first, and if feelings grew, the marriage would be arranged. The princess had grown attached to Legolas immediately, falling for his level-headed nature and pristine manners, not to mention the handsome package it came wrapped up in.

Legolas, on the other hand, was not interested. The princess was snooty, rude, and thought very highly of herself like her presence was somehow a blessing to all near her. He tried to avoid her with every excuse he could see, volunteering for every patrol and every guard duty there was available.  His father had encouraged him to spend as much time as possible with the princess of the visiting kingdom, to get to know her and he had. The truth was the princess was not a pleasant person.

But when he had started spending time close to the princess, his attention hadn't latched on the princess, but on you. You were one of her trusted servants, following her almost everywhere to make sure she was comfortable and had everything she needed. You took care of everything in her life.  She didn't have to do anything but sit and order you around, scoffing and complaining loudly when things took too long for her liking.

Even now, you were standing behind her, partly hidden in the shadows, hands folded neatly in front of you. Thranduil, the king of Mirkwood, had just announced that there would be a ball held in the evening and that the preparations were on the way as he was speaking. The princess got visibly excited, her eyes started glowing at the thought, and she started to whisper to you.
"I want to wear the yellow dress for this evening. I want you to go find some flowers you can tuck into my hair." You held in a sigh and nodded. The yellow dress was a nightmare, dozens of layers of tulle and silk, finished with hundreds of glittering white gems that fell if you touched them too hard.

As Thranduil dismissed the crowd that had gathered, the princess waved her hand in your direction, shooing you off.
"Now, off you go. The flowers better be pretty. The rest of you, follow me." You gave the rest of the handmaidens an apologetic look, knowing that their evening would be anything but pleasant. The princess was prone to snapping every time someone tugged the corset in a way she didn't like or if some of the gems fell off the dress, even if it was nearly impossible to work with so they wouldn't fall.

After a bit of wandering around the kingdom, you ended up finding a secluded spot where a cluster of yellow flowers grew, their large blooms so large that the stems seemed to be having trouble holding them up. You set to work, plucking the largest ones off the ground, careful not to damage the blooms. As you gathered them in your hand for a large bouquet, you let your mind wander. No matter how hard you tried to stop it, it always seemed to thrift back on the blonde prince. You knew you were torturing yourself with the images dancing in your head, but you couldn't help it. It was so easy to get lost in the thought of kissing him under the moonlight, dancing with him in the forest as the yellow leaves of autumn fell, cuddling together in front of the fireplace as snow fell.

Someone cleared their throat behind you, and you dropped the flowers as you yanked yourself around, meeting the cool blue eyes of the prince you had just been daydreaming about.
"I am sorry, prince Legolas. I'll be going now, I didn't want to interrupt your walk." Your voice was barely a squeak when you finally got some words out after being stunned by his sudden arrival. You turned to leave, hastily picking your flowers up, but the voice sounding stopped you.
"No, no. Please stay." Hesitantly, you turned around but still refused to meet his eyes, deciding to keep your gaze on your shoes instead. The ragged fabric was starting to fray, and you knew you had to make yourself a new pair soon if only you could find a piece of suitable leftover fabric laying around.
"What brings you here?" The prince's voice brought you out of your thoughts, and you jolted as you remembered he was still there.
"Uh, the princess wanted some flowers to be weaved into her hair and I came to get some." You responded, your nerves rising, fearing that you had done something wrong.