Beauty and the Beast | Thranduil x Reader

Chapter 26

The long carven tables were piled with trays upon trays of food and drink. Fruit, meat, cakes, a few things you could not even name. The kitchens must have worked overtime for this festival but given the amount of elves there were currently seated in this hall, it was hardly surprising. The entire room was buzzing with conversation and laughter. Everybody was drinking merrily. The hall itself had turned out to be completely open-topped, the clear winter sky shining down upon the merriment below. As the time passed, soon enough you would all be feasting and drinking beneath the stars. Feast Beneath a Winter Sky, indeed.

You ate and drank and enjoyed the atmosphere of the room. You talked with those at the table with you, mostly Legolas as Thranduil's attentions seemed to be rather consistently monopolised by those around him. It didn't bother you, of course, you understood that he was the king and he had a great deal of duties, even during an event such as this. You had watched him stand to give a speech not too long ago that had officially started the entire festival and he seemed to keep getting caught in conversation with council members and staff or visitors from other realms who had travelled for the festival.

To anyone simply passing, Thranduil was as smooth as ever as he entertained his guests and drank copious amounts of his favourite wine. His frustrations, however, were mildly rising in a secret place within him because it seemed that every time he turned his attention on you, to engage you in conversation, he was pulled in several other different directions that he simply could not ignore. At least you seemed to be having a good enough time talking to Legolas and enjoying the food and drink that had been prepared but he would have liked just a moments peace to include himself into that equation.

It came soon enough, of course, when the music the minstrels were playing changed into something different. A more upbeat, jovial tune intended to get everybody up onto their feet and dancing. It was quite a popular elven song, though you would not have heard it before, and many elves were eager to begin dancing and singing along.

Your gaze followed groups of elves as they rose from their tables and turned towards the dancefloor. You watched their bodies move with the music, fascinated. They danced alone, in pairs, or little groups though this was mostly the much younger ones. They moved more gracefully than you could have ever hoped to achieve but you didn't care as you were suddenly overcome with the desire to join in with them. The joy in the air was palpable and it was like it was pulling you in.

You turned your head to look at Thranduil, finding him already watching you, and you couldn't hold back the bright smile on your face as you reached out to him. Your hands found his arm and you clutched at the sleeve of his tunic with an excitement he found difficult to ignore. "Come and dance with me!" You glanced towards the floor again before turning back to him. "Please."

Legolas looked up from his plate and spoke your name, drawing your attention. "Alas, my father is not much for dancing at these events, I am afraid." He thought it was better if he got in ahead and told you, rather than his father having to actually say the words and let you down, considering how Legolas had seen you looking at him lately. Maybe it would sting just a little less coming from somebody else. "I may not be quite up to standard but I should be more than happy to spare you a dance or two in his stead, my friend."

"Actually, Legolas." Thranduil cut in smoothly, still looking at you even as his son had briefly drawn your attention from him. The slightest hint of disappointment had started to bleed into your enthusiasm, your shoulders dropping just barely. "I think I can quite manage one dance." He said simply, moving to stand. He extended his arm towards you, watching you rise up from your chair with another smile as you reached out to take his offered hand. He turned and led you towards the floor, leaving his son blinking in his wake.

When Legolas was able to pull himself away from staring in at his father's back as he led you away, he turned to look at Galion, whose eyebrows were practically touching the heavens. Galion met Legolas' eyes and then the two of them started laughing.

"Well, my Prince, that is quite the development." Galion muttered, plucking a goblet of wine off the table and draining the contents in one swift gulp.

"Indeed it is, Galion..." Legolas replied, his expression turning thoughtful as he suddenly stood and turned to move quickly around the outskirts of the room.

The crowd parted like an ocean as the king made his way across the dancefloor, a wide space opening up in the very middle. Thranduil led you to the centre of the room and turned to you, inclining his head slightly. You smiled up at him before you gathered the skirts of your dress and bowed low before him. You lifted your head after a moment, looking up at him. Thranduil was smiling affectionately down at you as he offered you his hand again. You took it, returning his smile, and he pulled you gracefully back upright and, not breaking eye contact, pressed a soft kiss to the back of your hand.

A soft murmur broke out around the room.

Just as Thranduil seemed to be about to begin to move, the tune changed, and something much slower started to ring out across the hall. It seemed to switch out mid song but you didn't have much time to focus on analysing that as Thranduil suddenly pulled you close, needing no such time to recover, his other hand dropping to your waist as he pulled you in.

Your breath hitched as you blinked up at him, all too aware of his closeness. "I--I don't really..." Know how to dance like this.

He simply smiled and shook his head, seemingly aware of what you were trying to say. "Just follow my lead." He murmured as he began to gently pull you with him across the floor.

The watchful eyes of many curious and stunned elves fixed upon the near inconceivable sight of a strange little human dancing with their detached king seemed to go unnoticed. Everything else seemed almost as though it had melted away completely as all you and Thranduil seemed able to look at was each other. Even Legolas, standing by the minstrels after sneaking over and getting them to change the song to something slower that would force you two closer together, went unseen as Thranduil twirled you around the floor.