A Lasting Legacy [ Thranduil X OC ]

Chapter 19

Thranduil was beside himself.
He never realized how empty and cold his palace was without company.
Without her.
This place he dwelled in seemed so dark and sad.
She acted as a bright light and now with her gone, his own home only depressed him.
Walking the corridors, he made his way to the training grounds outside.
Tauriel was doing the usual by training a new batch of young elves.
Breathing in the fresh air, he tried to look on the bright side.
He had gotten a letter from Legolas that morning saying that he would be in the area soon and stop by.
Thranduil couldn't wait to put up a feast in honor of his son returning.
Or at least coming by.
Turning away, he slowly walked away from the viewing platform that allowed him to watch the training progression and made his way back inside.
Tauriel's quick but exacting movements reminded him of another elleth and he didn't want to think of her.
It still hurt to much.
It had been nearly a month since Arden had left him.
Everyday, he had to stop himself from running down to Ardor to see if she and Lord Rowan were getting along, and if so, how well.
He had heard a soldier of Ardor, telling one of his own, that Lord Rowan did indeed propose the same thing Thranduil had.
The soldier did not know the finer details of the reason for the proposal, just that two rulers had in one day proposed to her.
He clenched his hands.
While he knew she declined politely, he still saw Lord Rowan and a caravan of supplies making their way back to Ardor at the end of every month.
Surely it was nothing more than him helping her, but at what cost?
He knew they must have struck on a deal since no rumors or hints of Ardors' wealth had circulated.
He hoped it lasted, as Arden would need all the time she could get to have things in order before others challenged her for the throne she now sat on.
Thranduil wanted to be the one helping her, giving her advice and being the one she leaned on.
He didn't know quite when it had happened, but at some point Ardor became an unclear motivation in the distance and Arden alone stepped into his sights.
He thought over what she had accused him of the other night and hated that he had to agree with her.
He was selfish.
He was using her love for him to get what he wanted in the end, even if she was included.
But did he love her?
His heart sang yes but his mind said no.
He missed what she did for him.
But he also missed her laughter, her delicate scent, her cunning mind and so much more.
In fact it was getting harder to breathe everyday she wasn't with him and not because she did things for him.
Hell, he wanted to do things for her.
Forget all the nonsense about her and her kind being different, he'd proclaim how wonderful they were to everyone himself if it got people to see how amazing and caring Arden was.
Although he was beginning to think he was the last person at this point to finally realize it.
Slowly, he was beginning to realize he couldn't live without her and that it indeed was love he felt.
Deep in thought, Thranduil made his way to his chambers and sat down at his desk.
Now that he knew he loved her, what did he do?
He had never felt this way before and did not want to mess up again.
Truly if he wanted her to be happy he would just let her go?
Or did she want him to come after her?
A headache begin to ensue and Thranduil rubbed his temples.
Women pfft.
He pulled out some stationary and decided that he would slowly enter himself into the picture once more.
She needed time to cool off, (remembering the whole sword fiasco) and he couldn't rush into things impulsively like he normally did.
Arden deserved to be pursued after a lifetime of getting the cold shoulder from him.
But a small part of him wondered if it was too late.

Fun fact;
When the Return of the King was first released to movie theaters in 2003, the average major motion picture would consist of about 200 shots containing special effects.
Meanwhile, Return of The King alone had 1,488.