The Elven King's Princess

CH. 26 - I'VE MISSED YOU

AS the feast continued through till the wee hours of the morning, every one was still in high spirits, dancing and laughing, and most of them, already quite drunk , including, princess Aeverie who is dancing around carelessly with Legolas and Tauriel and the other elves who joined their circle. As she took a break and sat on the table, catching her breath, she turned her head at the direction of the king sitting casually on his throne, minding his own business, drinking his wine.

Great! She thought. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. She followed his every movement with her eyes as he stood. She noted how his beautiful pale blue and silver robes were cascading on his tall figure. He was indeed a beautiful creature. Everything just suited him so well. Of course, he's always been beautiful. But he is the elven king of the woodland realm, he's the ruler of this kingdom. Not even her royal blood can compare to what he is. She is just a mere mortal compared to him. She shouldn't even be looking at him like this, with so much passion. She shouldn't even be thinking of him that way, it's wrong, she knows... But she can't stop herself from being drawn to him, his beauty, his whole being. She turned her head away in an instant. A wave of sadness passed through her.

The other elves, including Legolas and Tauriel, started dancing around her. She laughed as she watched them.

Thranduil then, took a last look at his people, he is happy for them, for their enjoyment, as he too, truly enjoyed himself. As he took a second goblet of wine, he looked around and his eyes landed on princess Aeverie who was laughing heartily as his son, Tauriel and other elves dance around her. The sight of her being happy and well, comforts him. This Aeverie now, is so different from the princess he had saved weeks ago. Her smile, her happiness brings joy to his heart. He realized then that trying to clear his mind off her only garnered little success. This passion or exhilaration inside of him makes him shiver. He knew princess Aeverie had stirred something in his heart that he had locked away for decades, and now it can't be undone. It was something new to him, something deep inside him that he never cared to admit. Since that night at the tower, his mind and his heart never forgot about how she was as beautiful as the heavens. But he knows---he can't really do anything about it and he won't. That is why he needs to distance himself from her, no matter how much he hated it.

As he turned away from her with a deep sigh, he found his feet taking him away from the feast. It's time for him to get back to his chambers and escape the burden in his heart that had taken hold of him again. A sudden irritation took over him as he found himself rushing towards the solitude of his chambers. He then dismissed the guards and was left alone with only his inner demons.

Aeverie.. he thought, as he poured himself more wine. Thinking about her is tormenting his heart.

Meanwhile, back at the throne halls, Aeverie stole a glance at the direction of the king again and she didn't see him. He wasn't on his throne anymore. She looked around but she could not see him. Her eyes searched for Thranduil but he seemed to have vanished from the party. Perhaps he sought refuge in his room? He must've taken a break from the crowd. Aeverie inhaled sharply when she remembered the crown she made for him. She looked at the satchel she tied on the belt of her dress. She would give this to him... at least it's enough reason to go to his room and finally have a chance to talk to him.

She found herself drifting further away from the celebration. She nervously walked through the kingdom halls and dimly lit corridors leading to the elven king's room.
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'THRANDUIL?..' Aeverie called out softly as she entered the king's room.

She walked in on him standing at his balcony, back turned, looking towards the forest. His long silver blonde hair was looking so beautiful against the pale blue velvet he was wearing. She isn't sure if he heard her come in and call out to him. She continued to walk slowly towards him.