I Am My Own (Reader x Thranduil)

Chapter 1

"I can't believe you're actually leaving me, (Y/N)," said Maewin with a down-turned face.

Maewin had been with me since the beginning. She's my best friend and though I didn't want to believe what she had said, it was still true. I'm leaving.

"I know. It's hard for me to believe myself."

Maewin pulled a wet cloth from the basin that sat on the side table next to my favorite reading chair. She then dampened my faced and wiped my arm. It really is a strange friendship that we have.

Maewin's mother was a handmaid for my father's sister, Tiian. But when my aunt fell in love with an elf in Rivendell, Maewin, who was only a toddler at the time, and her mother was left in the hands of my father, King Terein. Ever since then they have both served in the halls of this kingdom with Maewin being my personal handmaiden. I've never considered her a servant though, because she was the closest thing I had to a sister. Being an only child is kind of lonely when you're shut up in a castle all the time.

I watched my friend pour out the remaining water through the window and then cross the room to the dormer where she pulled out a white gown with delicately thin, green ivy trailing down the sides of it.

"I will miss you," she said gazing over the dress, "But I cannot deny that I envy you. You are soon to marry into one of the most powerful elven families of our time and I must say, Prince Thranduil...," she sighed.

Maewin had visited Greenwood (later being named "Mirkwood") about 50 years ago to attend her brothers funeral. He was a royal guard for King Oropher and after a battle with orcs, him and many of his fellow guards had fallen. Maewin wasn't very close to her brother since they saw very little of each other, but he was still her brother.

During the ceremony, Maewin had caught sight of Oropher and his son Thranduil who had attended the parting ceremony of their soldiers. Since then, she had developed a raving crush on the prince.

She raised her eyebrows in mischief and grinned widely. "I would be the happiest elleth alive if I were to ever have the chance at sharing a bed with him for just..."

"Maewin!"

"What?!," she giggled.

I shook my head, grinning at her insinuation and twisted the betrothal ring that lay upon finger out of nervous habit.

Nearly a full year this ring was sent from my fiance. I too, out of elven custom, sent Prince Thranduil a ring. On the wedding day we will replace our betrothal rings for wedding rings and our lives will officially merge. I wondered if he was wearing his ring now.

"I'm really going to miss you," I smiled.

"Are you ready, (Y\N), " my mother startled us as she gracefully strolled into my room.

I immediately felt myself being pulled back into the reality and wished for the blissful moments with Maewin to never end.

"Yes, Naneth."

"Maewin, you may go," my mother declared.

Naneth never did fully accept my friendship with Maewin. It's not that my mother didn't like Maewin, in fact she quite enjoyed her company, but was worried that the relationship I had with her wasn't completely real. She thought that if Maewin no longer had a job here then there would be no reason to be my friend and she would simply fade out of my life completely. I know this is her mindset because she has told me on several occasions.

My mother smiled as she slipped the gown from the young elleth's arms. Maewin bowed before taking her leave. I remained quiet. She knew I hated this.