Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit-Imagines and Oneshots

Thranduil- At Heart and Home

Oh my goodness! Over 7k reads and 300 votes! Thank you all! This was requested by @bibli0thecary 

You ate dinner with your suitor of two years, the Elvenking Thranduil Oropherion, laughing and drinking wine. It it had been the end of a long day, and you were glad to see him again. 

The two of you had met after the Desolation of Smaug, when the survivors from Laketown were taking refuge in the ruins of Dale. When he came riding into the courtyard with wagons of food and barrels of fresh water behind him, the two of you made eye contact, a spark was immediately lit- and noticed. You were the cousin of Bard, who was now the king of New Esgaroth. Yes, you were a human. And that was why Thranduil was so cold to you during your first meeting, even though there was nothing wrong with you. You were just mortal. But it wasn't long until you melted his heart and he opened it for you. His perspective on humans changed, as he was coming to see you as an equal to himself. Once the ruins of Dale were transformed into a new kingdom which Bard ruled over, Thranduil asked you to come back to Mirkwood with him, and, of course, you gladly accepted.

The elves found it very odd that Thranduil was interested in a human. From what they saw and believed, he only accepted people of pure Sindar blood. Everyone else was thought to be beneath him. But then came you and that all changed. Neither you or Thranduil understood what made you so attracted to each other. Perhaps it was how you were a great listener when he spoke, or how he would always give you valuable advice. Or maybe it was just plain, exciting chemistry. 

As you ate and chatted with Thranduil, a servant walked in. She bowed when she approached you (as Thranduil had instructed all of his people to do), and handed you an envelope. "A letter arrived for you today from New Dale, my lady," she said. You nodded with excitement of what it could say and dismissed her with quick thanks.

"News from your cousin?" Thranduil asked as he scooped a forkful of salad into his mouth. "Perhaps he finally accepted my proposal for a more permanent alliance."

You smiled slyly. Thranduil always tried to bring up the topic of marriage, and you always teased him. Today was no different. "Please tell me you aren't asking for Sigrid's hand," you said jokingly. He furrowed his brow before groaning with annoyance. 

"No, (y/n)," he said, flustered. "You know what I mean."

You laughed and pecked his cheek. Then, you opened the letter, the curiosity eating away at you. You took out the paper, unfolded it, and began reading to yourself. 

Dearest (y/n),

I do wish I could be writing to you on a more cheerful note, but alas, I cannot. It is with great reluctance that I must tell you that your good friend, Laderic, has been arrested for thievery once again. It's also with a heavy heart that I tell you it was my family he stole from. I feel stupid, for it was happening under my nose for many months. He was taking out a larger income for an unnamed reason, which we now know was to furnish his manor and buy himself whores. (Take no offense, but I still don't understand why you're still his friend.) His last sentence was three months, and according to the laws, this one will be one year. Don't worry, he is fed well and is allowed visits from his family from time to time, but he is a man of crime, and not treated with the same fairness he once was. 

I do hope all is well with you and Thranduil in the Woodland Realm.

Your cousin,
Bard

You stared blankly at the letter for a while until Thranduil nudged your shoulder. "What is it, meleth nin?"

You sighed and faced him. "You remember Laderic, right?" He nodded. "He's been caught thieving."