The ElvenKing [A thranduil fanfiction]

Chapter 34

Greenwood T.H 2058

          High winter had already claimed the lands, last night another layer had dusted over the already covered forest. It was hiding the remnants of Autumns decay before new foliage would grow once spring came around again. The peace I felt here, calmed the roaring storm inside me. My love for Thranduil only grew with each day that passed, despite the anger I had felt because of his actions the last time we coupled.

Heat arose to my cheeks, causing me to cringe internally. What we had done a few days ago, was not proper at all. What would happen if we had truly been caught? What if Legolas had barged in during the time, despite Thranduil's instructions not to disturb him. Voronwë had not allowed me to forget it just yet constantly teasing me whenever I was on guard duty. But that was not the main issue, deep down I understood Thranduil's actions when he forcefully removed my necklace. There had been a brief flash of anger and hurt when he discarded it. He had found me this morning, necklace in hand, he'd had it repaired before returning it to me.

His apology had been sincere, despite the hurt the action had caused me. It still hurt to think about, and I sighed deeply, forcing myself out of my thoughts to concentrate on the young prince next to me. Legolas had found me again this morning after Thranduil had left me, forcing me to join him in the forest for his training. He was getting better and better between each time I saw him. The constant rhythm of an arrow hitting the target, was more frequent than the hollow thud whenever an arrow hit a nearby tree instead.

Voronwë was at his side at the moment, crouched so he was able to correct the young prince's hold on the bow after a few arrows had missed the target. I observed them quietly, watching how Voronwë corrected the young prince. It reminded me of when my father taught me. The memory flashed before my eyes and brought a smile to my lips while clutching the handle of my father's bow.

I genuinely enjoyed being a part of this, despite the knowledge I had another nightshift tonight, Voronwë also. He didn't look as tired as he had done a few weeks ago, the dark circles hugging his eyes had lessened considerably and he was smiling more again. Deep down I hoped that it was the newfound relationship to Charanthir that made him this happy. I suppressed a yawn, surprised by the sudden tiredness because I hadn't been able to find any sleep this morning before Thranduil came to deliver the necklace and his apology. For some unknown reason, I had been restless and uncomfortable, almost just plain miserable. Therefore, this was a welcomed distraction, I knew would lighten my mood.

As the weeks passed, a slight discomfort had begun to develop, surging through me more often these days and usually in the morning after a meal. I believed that it was because my wound was acting up again, which it usually did around this time, and just shrugged it off because it did not bother me during the day, unless I made a wrong twist during my guard duties. The forest was extremely slippery and caused me to lose my footing more than once.

Legolas groaned loudly following another hollow thud as his arrow hit the tree next to the target. It reclaimed my attention as Voronwë knelt at his side. He exhaled deeply, trying to remain calm because he understood the frustration from the young prince, we both did. It took me years before learning to shoot the bow and centuries to perfect my technique. Voronwë encouraged Legolas to try again but when the prince held the bow up improperly on purpose, Voronwë grabbed his arms to adjust his hold.