The King of Starlight and Lullabies (Thranduil x OC fanfic)

Chapter 1- The Master's of the Dock

Caledra sighed, taking a seat on the edge of the dock and staring dutifully at her own reflection. She eyed her long brown hair tied up at the top of her head disdainfully, pulling it out and letting it fall down over her shoulders, moving to next examine her calloused hands with frustration, made rough and unpleasant from the hard work moving crates and barrels all day. She lazily plopped a nearby pebble into the water, watching with odd satisfaction as the ripples distorted her face before returning back to its calm, untouched surface. It looked like a smooth pane of glass with not even a breeze in the air to disrupt the stillness. This is not how my life was supposed to be, she thought, glancing up at the tall trees around her, and through them, the kingdom of Mirkwood in the distance.

I should be up there right now, she thought gloomily. Drinking wine, laughing with friends, relaxing. After all, I'm the one who does all the hard work. She sighed, leaning back and watching as a few brown leaves floated down from the great trees. They gracefully spiraled through the air before making a steep descent into the water below. Her eyes drifted back to her hands again. She tentatively pressed one against her face, feelings it's roughness and practically cringing. Why couldn't she have lovely, soft hands? Why did she have to slave at the docks day in and day out while half the population of Mirkwood hardly had to work thanks to their lineage? Her self-pitying thoughts were soon interrupted by a booming voice from behind her, causing her to jump in surprise.
"Caledra! What are you doing lounging about! We've got work to do!" Auric laughed upon seeing her sprawled out, face to the sky, his face replacing the sun in her own eyes as he grinned down at her. Caledra let out a yelp, waking from her thoughts and sitting up quickly, blushing from embarrassment as Auric chuckled at her. He reached out a hand to help her up, and Caledra gratefully took it, his own rough hands feeling familiar against her own. "What were you thinking about?" He asked as they made their way back down the dock to a ship that had just arrived.
Caledra shrugged, "Oh...," she sighed again, gazing back up at the trees surrounding them. "Just life I suppose."
He raised an eyebrow at her, corners of his mouth peaking up in amusement. "Oh? That's quite a vague answer. Perhaps you'd be so kind as to elaborate on your philosophical quandaries?" He said as they approached the ship, politely allowing her to step aboard first.
She laughed lightly, winking at him playfully as the ship's captain met them. They exchanged all the necessary documents and information for import and export trade verification and soon began unloading the ship with the rest of the crew. Her hands were soon laden with even more splinters than she had gotten the previous day. She groaned once they had gotten all of the cargo off, knowing now they would start the tedious task of bringing all of the cargo to the great halls. This was her least favorite part of work. The only reason she hadn't been driven insane from her job as of yet is because she did get to spend a majority of her time outside. She had always liked the way she could see the sky and hear the wind through the trees.
"I just don't know Auric," she sighed, grunting as she lifted a crate nearly the size of herself, waddling as she grow even more unbalanced with every step she took. "I'm just sick of all of this!"
He snorted, struggling for breath as they entered the drop off room, unloading their crates and turning back for more. "As you have been for the past half century. I mean, it's rough work but what's to complain about? It puts food in your belly and muscles in your arms," He argued, causing Caledra to roll her eyes. He winked at her "I think it's just your whimsy again, dear."
She glared sullenly back him. "But I don't want muscular arms! I want them to be adorned with bracelets and covered by a fine gown," she sighed as he dismissed her comment, instead whistling a tune. "and you're calling me the whimsical one here..."
Auric had a point though. Being dockmasters was hard work, but it had a lot of benefits compared to some jobs elves of her status had. She sighed, glancing at the trees all around her. She got the unexplainable feeling to run, to bound into the trees and from there into the unknown that lay beyond. Oh, heavens, what was wrong with her? Why was she so wanderlust?
They continued to work until the golden rays of the day were replaced with the beginnings of the violet evening, the shades of the setting sun splaying beautiful colors across the water and through the treetops, dotting the shadows across the ground with bright kaleidoscope shapes. They settled down on the same spot she had been laying in earlier, silent besides the lapping of the river and the blood rushing through their veins from the heavy lifting. Finally, Auric rose, staring up at the kingdom's walls, a wistful look in his eyes.
"Everything we were just bringing up is to be used for a great party tonight. There'll be wine, food, dancing..." He trailed off, smiling fondly into the distance.
Caledra jumped up, energized at the thought of a party. That was just what she needed to soothe her mind and body at this point. If there was one thing she loved, it was a party. "What are we doing mucking about here then like a bunch of sorry dwarves?" She grinned.
Auric blinked. "It's not something we could attend, it's for the king's royal army and other elves of elite status." He said as though he was sorry for even mentioning it, rubbing the back of his head.
Caledra's blood began to boil as she clenched her teeth together. They were the ones who slaved over those boxes and barrels, yet they couldn't even have a small amount of what was inside. They hardly received enough to live modestly, and then are denied even the smallest of pleasures such as this, while others who did absolutely nothing get to enjoy it, simply because of their Sindar roots?. She squeezed her hands, feeling the splinters press further into her flesh, and made up her mind.
"Auric," she said slowly, feeling a slow smirk across her face, "would you like to attend that party?"
"I suppose it would be nice," he said offhandedly before spotting her devious expression and instantly going pale. "No no no! We can't actually go! What are you thinking?"
"Come on. Follow me." Caledra said excitedly, grabbing his hand as they sprinted off towards the distant lights of Mirkwood. Auric laughed, catching his feet as he tried to keep up with her sudden departure. Through the trees they ran, off into the belly of the beast itself, one that they call home. She couldn't help but gaze in wonder at the splendor all around her every time she walked through the halls. The way the beautiful architecture wove itself interchangeably with the nature around it, seeming to blend in with the trees surrounding it. The smoothly sculpted paths lined with autumn leaves, and the sheer size of it all astounded her. She could hear the murmurings of the party staircases far above them, and smell the wonderful food. This truly was a paradise shielded from the woes of the outside world.
Auric pulled slightly to the left, obviously expecting them to go back the way their houses were. Caledra continued to run until they reached a large bunkhouse on the far right side of the kingdom.
Auric blinked, head tilted as Caledra rattled her keying, picking out the one to the bunkhouse. He gasped, eyes widening. "Caledra! We can't use our keys to break into somewhere! We'll lose our job!"
For you see, the perks of being the dockmaster were slim, but one of which was the all-access pass you received. A keyring allowing entrance to any sort of building you might be making deliveries to. It had come in handy numerous occasions, all equally mischievous. This was the first time she was going to do this however, rather than just the typical sneaking around like she normally did.
Caledra yanked his head down. "Keep quiet and we won't. Nobody will know. Besides," she winked as the door clicked, opening. "It's not like we're breaking into the Kings palace, just the bunkhouse. Come in, hurry."She said softly, sliding in and closing the door behind them. She motioned for him to stay quiet as she held her breath, creeping around the corner of the doorframe, praying that her hypothesis was correct.

Fortunately, whether it was a stroke of pure luck, fate, or her own logical prediction, the bunkhouse seemed to be empty. She, of course, would insist on it being the latter of the categories, for if there was anything she valued in herself it was her wits.

Of course high ranking scouts and captains were at the dinner. Caledra smiled, eyeing a nicely folded pile of elvish scout uniforms.

Perfect.