The Moth and the Flame (A Thranduil fanfic)

Chapter 6

Thranduil watched as Evelyn crossed the water, making her way through the brush. As the blazing flames disappeared in the lush green forest.

In a hurry, he searched for something that could get him across in time. The tree. He looked over at the tree that she had fallen out of, remembering how beautiful she looked sitting there. Thranduil unsheathed his sword, walking over to the only tree on shore and began swinging at the branch. If he was completely honest with himself, he didn't seem to be getting anywhere.

Now frustrated with himself, he dropped his sword and began removing his robes, leaving him in his undergarments. He wore nothing but a thin layer of clothes, his boots, and his sword. Swinging the shiny weapon over his shoulder, he began wading into the water.

It was quite cold and the water seeped through his boots, but he payed no mind. For he was determined to keep Evelyn out of danger. Ignoring the coldness of the water, he began to paddle across.

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Evelyn had made it halfway to her destination before getting an odd feeling on her stomach. It happened almost instantly, making her sick. She tried pushing on, thinking it was Featä in trouble, but the sickening feeling got worse and worse. She was having trouble breathing, as if the forest itself was suffocating her. What she needed was air....the shore...The only area close by that wasn't covered by trees. Immediately, she turned around, jogging towards shore. It was difficult at first, but she realized that the closer she got to shore, the better she felt. Slowly the sickening feeling in her gut went away as she approached the water.

She wondered if maybe something had caused her temporary sickness. She looked around to see if maybe her gut was trying to warn her about something. Maybe an assassin or predator. Her keen eyes scanned the area around her. She wanted to believe that something was going to come out of the brush, but her eyes kept directing themselves back to the water.

"The water???" She questioned herself, continuing to look out on the water.

She noticed a bit of splashing going on on the horizon. Her heart sped up and she could only think of one person in the entire universe who'd be that arrogant. The Prince....he had followed her after all it seemed. At first she watched him swim closer and closer, but then he stopped getting closer. Instead he stayed in one place splashing. Her gut gave a kick, jolting her forwards. Something was wrong. He was no longer swimming....he was drowning.

"Noooo." she croaked, rising to her feet and running to the boat. She pushed in off shore and leaped in, paddling with all of her strength.

"Please be alright. Please be alright." She repeated over and over. With each strong paddle, she got closer to the Prince.

Until finally she reached the area where he had been swimming. She was relieved to find the golden hair above the water. For a moment her weariness dissipated, but soon returned. He wasn't there after she blinked. There was nothing but the bubbles coming from his suffocating lungs.

"Thranduil!!!" She screamed, standing up and looking over the side of the boat. She dropped her weapons and removed her top clothing and dove into the water. Feeling the cold water rush against her skin, she began kicking her legs as hard as possible. She needed to get to the bottom in time, there wasn't time for second thoughts or panic.

She tried opening her eyes as far as they would allow her, hoping she could see him. For the water was perfectly clear, but it wasn't clean. The dirt stung her eyes, but she didn't care. All she was worried about was him.

She made it to the bottom, holding onto a rock so that she wouldn't float to the surface. Looking around, she could faintly see the blonde hair from afar. She swam over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pushed of the lake floor. She was running out of time. He was unconscious and she was clawing for breath. She kicked furiously , trying to make it to the surface. She closed her eyes, hoping they'd make it in time.