The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings -oneshots II

Edify - Thranduil

Warnings: none? I think...
Word count: 1202
Other: -
Requested: by Mistress_of_Chaos

Being the archery teacher of Mirkwood, you have encountered most elves in the early stages of their life, even prince Legolas in his early years. Now he is a grown ellon, but his father still pays you regular visits at the archery range. Not that you mind, of course.

Thranduil watched from afar as you worked with the young ellons and elleths in Mirkwood. Your patience seemed to know no bounds as you corrected their hold on their bows again and again, as their fingers kept slipping on the shining wood. You had held this position for a long time, as you were the one that had taught Legolas the basics of the bow as well, and he always remembered those days with such warmth.

When Thranduil approached, the children under your tuition grew nervous, squeezing their bows with knuckles turning white, not sure how to react to the king visiting the archery range. Had they done something wrong? But their worries were soon dismissed as you greeted him with such warmth that it surprised even them. You were always kind, but the tone in your voice was different from your normal one, and it intrigued them.

Even after you guided them to the small practice targets at the edge of the arena, instructing them to practice their shooting as you exchanged a few words with the king before you could finish for the day. Truth to be told, the children did not do much shooting, their curiosity getting the better of them and they kept a close eye on the conversation the two of you were having. Only when your or the king's eyes strayed in their directions, did the group pretend to be invested in the art of archery. But when your attention returned to the other, they continued watching.

The two of you were standing close to each other, almost chest to chest, speaking in soft, hushed tones, so they could not hear what was being said, but judging by the small flush of red on your cheeks, it was something that you liked hearing. They could see the small, almost shy smile on your lips, and the way you brushed your hair behind your ears, almost like you were avoiding the gaze of the elf in front of you. And when they dared to take peeks at the king, they saw him wearing a soft expression, unlike anything they had ever seen before. The king wore a cold expression if he was seen out in public, but this... This was something new entirely, and it made their curiosity rise only higher.

Blissfully unaware of the yleisö you were entertaining, you continued your conversation.
The wind that blew through the trees smelled faintly of rain, and you sighed, knowing that this evening's lessons would be spent in a downpour. It was good for the students, as they had to learn to handle their bows even if they were wet and the added weight changed the balance of the arrows. But you would have preferred to be dry, and as you thought about it, you had left your cloak in your room. So you had nothing to cover yourself with save from the gown you were wearing, and unfortunately, it didn't have a hood. So you would be soaked to the bone.

When the first drops fell, you ushered the young elves inside. It was too early in their archery careers to even think about the added difficulties, they needed to learn the basics first. They gathered under the katos, heads pressed together as they seemed to bicker about something.

You shook water out of your ears as you gathered up the last arrows that the elflings had missed, glancing at the sky, unimpressed. Autumn would always bring the rain, you knew this, yet you somehow always forgot your cloak for the first raid before you learned. You would think you'd learned to remember, but apparently not.

"You forgot your cloak again, didn't you?" Thranduil asked, a knowing smirk on his face and you resisted the urge to shove him. You responded with a look, shaking more water off your face as you hurriedly set the arrows back where they belonged.

You felt something brush your arm and you lifted your head to see Thranduil extending his cloak to you.
"I cannot possibly."
"Take it. I hate to think you here, sopping to the bone while I sit inside, warm and comfortable in meetings." You stared at him and the cloak in turns. It was probably the finest piece of clothing you had ever seen, the red lining on the inside looking incredibly soft.

You hesitantly took it from his hand and draped it over your shoulders. It was a little too long for you, and when you lifted the hood over your eyes, it almost fell onto your eyes. But it was warm, and you wouldn't get wet again.
"Thank you." The smile on your face made Thranduil's heart skip a beat, and he hurried to return it.

Sighing, the king turned away from you, glancing at the sky.
"The meeting is going to begin soon, I should be there before they start without me." You rolled your eyes, giving him a look.
"We'll see each other at dinner? I'll return this then." You hurriedly promised, knowing you always met for dinner so you could spew out the details of your day. He would complain about the meetings and how they seemed to drag on, and you would share the moments, good and bad you had had with your students.

The elflings were watching the exchange with wide eyes. But what really surprised them was when the king grasped your hand gently and pressed a kiss atop it before making his way inside, making you flush red again and press your hand tightly against your chest as you watched him leave. Your eyes were hazy, it was clear from your expression and posture that you were far away, lost deep in thought. None of them wanted to pull you out of it just yet, as it meant that they had to get back to practicing.

You only snapped out of your haze when one of them dropped their bow, and it clattered onto the floor, the sound bringing your attention back to the present.
"Now, what was practice like today. Is there something you'd like to ask, or something you want to say that you realized or learned today?"

I had serious trouble when I was trying to get to writing this. I could not to the life of me figure out how to start, but after the break, it just dawned on me. I also ended up changing the name of this multiple times, I could not come up with something I was happy with. But in the end, I went with the one I originally had though XD

I'm slowly finishing the last requests I had before I went on my break. I'm thinking that I'll open then when they are all finished, but I have to see how my motivation develops as I keep writing.