Beauty and the Beast | Thranduil x Reader

Chapter 19

Thranduil's garden was beautiful. You followed him through the hallways towards his private chambers and out into the private outdoor areas that he called his own. He missed greatly the former glory of his forest and, while the darkness dwelled beneath the trees, this space was a lifesaver for him. There had once been a time when Thranduil had walked for hours through the Greenwood as the sun trickled through the leaves overhead, caressing his skin. Now, the light barely permeated those same branches that had gnarled over time, sick with dark magic. Would it ever be back to the way it used to be? He had to believe that it would be so.

You followed him over to a tree where, on the grass beneath the branches, there was a small meal set out to greet the two of you. He settled himself gracefully and you followed, watching him curiously, though you did your best not to be too obvious about it. Did he really mean for you to call him by his name? It felt too intimate somehow. As though you were friends. Though you had to admit that you were feeling much more comfortable in his presence than you had before. You felt as though you somehow understood the king a lot more now than you did before. You understood and you found that you cared.

The two of you passed lunch making light conversation. You asked him questions about his kingdom and about elves in general and he answered, enjoying the eager way you ate up the information. You were so curious about elves and it was endearing to him. Returning the favour, you told him all about the rumours that had passed round your village of the elves in Mirkwood, from the kidnapping of humans and keeping them as slaves, to the dark magic that they supposedly cast upon the beings around them. The men said they bewitched their women, some even saying they murdered their children and used their bones for their dark spells.

Thranduil was quite horrified, having never really heard quite so many disturbingly untrue things about his race before. He knew your village was a little different than many of the others surrounding the woods and the fields and lakes beyond, but this bordered well on the extreme.

"I must say, I have been insulted in a lot of ways and this may most certainly be quite high up on the list." He said, shaking his head. If anybody was likely to do those sorts of things, it was mortals, not elves.

You couldn't help a chuckle when he said that he had been insulted in many ways, able to believe that quite readily. He seemed to know what you were laughing at and couldn't resist shooting you a smirk as he lifted his wine to take a sip before the frown returned.

"These people in your village." He continued, thinking back to your conversation over dinner the previous night coupled with what you had just told him. "They are awfully small minded."

You found yourself nodding, humming in agreement as you popped a grape into your mouth. "And I have not yet even told you about Vermund!" You exclaimed, making a face of disgust as a shudder ran through you.

Thranduil raised an eyebrow, curious as he watched your expression. "Who is Vermund?" He wondered, pouring himself some more of the wine.

"He is a hunter. An incredibly skilled one. He is a rich man and he is very respected back home but... oh, he is an awful, awful person." You muttered darkly, scrunching your nose as you thought back over the years since he had come to town. "The worst thing is that he continually tries to practically force me to wed him!" Your tone made your displeasure clear as day. You simply could not imagine being the wife of that boorish oaf. "He does not take no for an answer."

Thranduil frowned at that, studying you for rather a long moment. "This man. Has he harmed you?" He found himself asking, watching you very carefully. He did his best to keep his tone level but there was a bite to it and, as you lifted your gaze, you could swear you saw something flicker in his expression. Anger? Maybe but you found that you were not scared by it.