Mary Goes to Mirkwood

Mary Goes to Mirkwood

Chapter three/?

Authored by: Mary A & Malinorne

Disclaimer: Just playing with Tolkien characters, for fun, and not profit, do not claim to have created them. The king's seneschal, Thaladir, is our own creation.

Warning: NC17/ sexual situations/ nudity.

Pairing: King Thranduil/OFCs, Rumil/OFC, Orophin/OFC,

Summary: Mary arrives in Mirkwood, Mal is delayed

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mary~

While on my way to Mirkwood, I thought over the conversation I had with Galadriel and Celeborn at the masquerade party. The Lady had told me that Thranduil was neither wicked, nor evil, and that I had no reason to fear him imprisoning me against my will. Celeborn warned that the king was stern, sometimes bitter, and suspicious of the ulterior motives of all others, including elves. He said the fact that he had invited me, a human, into his kingdom was rare and astonishing, and I should proceed with caution.

"You will not have as easy of a time with Thranduil as you have had with the sons of Elrond, or, my March Warden, Haldir," said Galadriel, "for they have all traveled outside of their own realms, on many occasions, and are not averse to forming companionships with humans. Thranduil rarely seeks humans for company and even more rarely travels far from his realm."

"He is beloved by his subjects," added Lord Celeborn, "but he is feared by them, too, for his wrath is legendary. He does not wield a gentle hand and he demands immediate obedience; yet his elves are fiercely loyal and devoted to him. He has no need to seek outside his kingdom for company."

"I think," said the Lady, "that with you he must have felt relaxed, at ease, perhaps even lighthearted, in a way he has not allowed himself to feel during a long dark age among his own subjects, lest he appear weak."

Celeborn agreed with her and added, "You are very brave to accept his invitation. Obviously he seeks to test his reaction to you in his own world. Do not let him intimidate you or he will lose all respect for you."

Their words swirled in my head as I flew above the clouds, and watched the stars turn overhead, on my ride to Middle Earth, but proved not so much helpful as just more curiosity provoking. What was I getting myself into? I was as curious about my own motives as I was about Thranduil's.

In my own thoughts, I avoided the sexual component. I had gotten plenty of answers about the king's desires, in our previous encounters, so curiosity about that aspect could not be the only reason I wanted to visit with him. I had been with the Twins at their home in Rivendell, and Haldir at his in Lorien, so, I told myself that it was only fair to visit the king in his own territory. More fair to me. Or, more fair to the king? Fair about what? I had no idea. And so my mind would chase itself around in its endless maze as I tried to prepare myself to "consort" with a king. I hoped he did not expect me to curtsy.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mal ~

Unlike Mary, this was my very first flight with Eagle-Back Airlines and I was excited when my eagle prepared to land at Carrock Airport, where I was going to change flights. Thranduil must have at least some feelings for me, as he had insisted that I should visit him. And the last part of the way he had arranged for me to fly with Gwaihir the Wind-lord, son of Thorondor, the mighty eagle of the Second Age that had been the emissary of the Valar. It would be an honour to ride on the back of the same eagle that had rescued both Gandalf and the ringbearers.

But it turned out that I had to spend the night at the airport, as Gwaihir felt slightly indisposed and needed a check-up by the flight medics the following morning before he would be ready for take-off. As I wandered alone in the airport building my doubts returned, and I was quite upset by the time I finally spotted a familiar face in the crowd of men and elves and dwarves.

Legolas! His friendly smile was like balm for my soul, but, unfortunately, he was on his way to a fan-fic writer in need and could not stay long with me. It was easy to see from the way he fondled the small jar of honey in his left hand, that he was looking forward to the meeting with her with much anticipation.

He looked surprised when I told him where I was going, but said that human company would be good for his Ada, who, in his opinion, had been hiding in the woods far too long. When we said goodbye, Legolas promised to post a greeting to my Haldir group, and also the last chapter of my story, that I had brought on a floppy, thinking to post it from the palace. I was relieved he was not going to be able to read it until he was in the modern world. After all, there are some things children don't want to know about their parents.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mary ~


Mal's invitation to Mirkwood was still a mystery to me. I knew nothing about the king's visit with her and had been puzzled by her shyness around him at the masquerade party. I had told her to go over to him, to introduce herself, but she just shuddered, made an excuse and disappeared. I assumed he frightened her, she was a bit timid. I had given up tracking her down at the party and never did say goodbye to her when I had left with Thranduil. This meant I had never had a chance to tell her about my invitation to his halls.

When I arrived in Mirkwood, it was pitch dark night. There were thick, dark clouds that shrouded a sliver of moon and the courtyard I landed in was lit by torches that flickered in the wind. The great gates of Thranduil's halls stood open and I could see the inner passages and multi-storied staircases just within them.

There were only a few, quiet elves with the king to greet me. There was nothing to distinguish them as being members of his royal house, or, just local elves from the nearby huts coming out to watch the eagle land. But, I was very curious about them and I hoped the king would introduce me to them. They stayed back in the shadows while the king came forward. Thranduil stood silent before me as I disembarked, his face a curious mask of studied passivity.

"Hi, King."

"Welcome to Mirkwood." His tight, little, sideways smile tugged at my heart, and other places. I would probably have turned and ran from any other elf, or man, as fierce-looking as Thranduil, if he had looked at me that way. As if I was a favorite dessert after a good meal. But under the lusty regard of the king I felt strangely grateful. I enjoyed being enjoyed.

He handed my bags to one of the elves and spoke a few words to them in their tongue and they quickly departed within the gates. He bade the eagle farewell and, as we watched the great bird rise up into the dark night, he put a hand at my elbow with which he guided meoughough the Mirkwood gates.

"I am pleased to see you wear the gown I had made for you," he said, "as long as you are here with me, you shall not wear a different color." We entered the gates into another, even larger, interior courtyard. As if he were standing right next to me, whispering into my ear, I heard Celeborn's voice, \not not allow him to intimidate you...'

"Never?" I blurted out, "Not any other color ever?" I looked down at the scarlet gown, critically, as if it was the first time I was seeing it. "Well, it's not a bad color on me, I guess, but, what about blue, or purple? I look even better in purple." I looked up at him sideways.

He lowered a stern eyebrow at my comment but I pretended like I did not notice and just looked straight ahead as we entered the enormous caverns of Mirkwood. The whole place seemed deserted, there were no other elves in sight, and not a whisper of a sound could be heard besides the mutterings of the torches that lit the whole area with a reddish glow. It was breathtakingly beautiful. He led me up the central staircase where we climbed the polished gleaming steps up into the next level.

The interior structure had arches, and buttresses, that seemed to sail through the air, all shaped out of solid rock, then polished and decorated with simple carvings of leaves, or vines, or a simple seven-petaled flower design. There was nothing ornate and fussy, as at Rivendell, nor anything lyrical and delicate, as in Lorien, yet this structure seemed grander and more awe inspiring than either of those realms had been. Rivendell was a joyful party house and Lorien a golden-hazed dream, but this place, this cavernous structure, was solidly real, ancient and eloquent.

The king was dressed in a tunic the color of which was difficult to tell in the red torch light. It was perhaps a light tan or yellowish gold, but not anything darker than that. It suited him and the torchlight glow on his shiny hair made it appear coppery. He wore braids, like Legolas's, but thicker and simpler. Around his head was circle of leaves, real leaves, not mithril. They were dark, small, shiny leaves that hugged his scalp and formed a small downward vee-shape on his forehead.

"Perhaps I shall have a purple gown made for you while you are here," he said. "I think I would very much like to see you in that color."

"Thank you, but, I hope you didn't think I was asking you to give me another gown!" I was a little surprised at his generous offer. I had brought several nice looking dresses; I was prepared for looking fit to be seen in the company of a king, I thought. The idea of wearing the same exact dress, day after day, had unsettled me.

I suddenly wondered what the king had those elves do with my clothes. Our footsteps echoed down a long, wide hallway. Had the king sent everyone to their rooms? There were doors, occasionally, on either side of us, but they were all closed. I wondered if there were any elves at all in this enormous underground kingdom.

"Are you hungry?" the king asked, "I have dinner prepared for you."

"Oh, that sounds good. Yes, I am hungry."

The hallway suddenly opened out into yet another courtyard and I knew we had reached the entry to Thranduil's palace. The biggest difference was the mithril embellishments on the carvings on the archways, the moldings and the door frames, and the torchlight made it all shimmer and sparkle. Yet it seemed still more spartan than ostentatious, just a little shinier around the edges.

There were elves here, quiet, stone-faced sentinels, they stood at either side of the doorways, holding spears, and did not blink or smile. The king led me past them without introduction and took me deeper into his palace area, and then into his chambers. Instead of torchlight, the interior of his private area was lit with candelabras.

"Before we sit to dinner, I have something to show you." The other corner of his mouth threatened to lift to match the already tucked up side and my heart began to pound a little harder. I knew better than to anticipate the king's actions. I stood and waited.

He reached within his tunic and withdrew a small leather pouch with a drawstring closing. He took my hand and held it so that my palm was turned up and he placed the little bag on it, loosened the top, and withdrew a necklace made of pearls and rubies and held it before me. I gasped as the rubies glittered and flashed in the candlelight and the pearls shone softly between them. I do not have a very clear recollection of that moment. I was speechless. The king stepped behind me and fastened it at my neck. I wished I had a mirror to see it with, but the look in the king's eyes when he stepped back to face me was enough.

"Thank you, king," I said after I caught my breath. The necklace felt heavy, delightfully heavy, as it caressed my collar bone. I had never worn anything like it before. "Do I get to keep this?"

"I had it made for you. Now, let us see to that dinner." He offered his elbow to me formally, and I took it as I imagined a lady who wears rubies and pearls around her neck would do, and we were back out into the hallway, then down a few more flights of stairs and I could hear something, something like singing, rising up to meet us as we descended. More spear-holding guards stood on either side of a large doorway from behind which I could hear the roar of many happy voices raised in song.

But, when the doors were opened, a sudden hush fell over what turned out to be an enormous dining hall filled with what appeared to be thousands of elves. It was my welcome banquet. The king led me to a seat of honor and the feasting, drinking and singing began again as soon as I was settled in my chair. The Mirkwood elves were merry and delightful, and obviously prepared to party long into the night.

The king seemed pleased to have me at his side. Despite what Galadriel and Celeborn had suspected, he seemed quite relaxed and happy among his own people and joined in many of the songs and revelry. His seneschal, a somewhat quiet and serious elf, named Thaladir, sat at my other side and asked me a few polite questions. He knew nothing of my earlier travels through Middle Earth and seemed interested that I had visited both Imladris and Lothlorien.

When I told him of my time in Rohan and about touring the caves behind Helm's Deep, with Legolas and Gimli, he muttered, with noticeable disapproval, something about "young princelings and their dubious traveling companions."

I kept my thoughts about Gimli to myself. This dinner was not the place to rectify centuries of hostilities between these elves and the dwarves. I would have thought that they had put that all behind them after the Battle of the Five Armies but I kept my mouth shut, for the time being. Instead I told him I was hoping to see Legolas while I was visiting in Mirkwood, but the seneschal regretfully informed me that the king's son was not there at the present time and not likely to visit anytime soon.

Tables were moved out of the way in the center of the floor, musicians assembled themselves on a platform, across the room from where we sat, and the elves began dancing. I was soon out on the dance floor, with the king's permission, receiving my first lesson in what seemed t the the Elven equivalent to a polka or two-step. The steps were simple, but quick, and I laughed at my fumble-footed self as I was swung around the room by the more experienced dancers.

I was soon too breathless to continue, after a few vigorous tunes, and returned to my seat beside the king. His face was serious, but his eyes had a familiar shine to them, as he turned his full attention to me. Normally, I only saw that look when my back was slammed against a door or a wall. It was just as stunning to the senses when I was sitting beside him.

"Are you ready for bed," he asked.

"I'm not sleepy," I answered.

"Neither am I." He stood, and drew me up beside him, as he said good night to those who were still sober, or, alert enough, to notice, and we left the laughing, singing, dancing elves to continue the party, apparently, through the rest of the night.

When the king and I returned to his rooms, I at last got to see his bedchamber which was, indeed, scarlet and silver. The bed itself had four rounded ebony posts with a thick vine of heart shaped leaves, fashioned of mithril, and studded with glittering gems, wrapped around them. The deep-red bedspread was embroidered with the same vine pattern in silver thread and the massive pillows were covered with soft, satiny cases.

The king helped me out of my dress, but made me keep the necklace on, and lifted me up onto the bed before undressing himself. Although the room was well heated, I shivered slightly with anticipation as he laid his tunic and leggings over the foot board, removed the circle of leaves, and undid his braids, letting his hair flow loosely around his face.

I had drunk too much wine to feel nervous, but, I was not entirely at ease, now that I was alone with the king. He lay beside me and took me into his arms, sensing perhaps, my hesitancy, for his caresses were gentle, his kisses were tender and sweet, and he spoke to me softly of the pleasure he took from my presence in his bedchamber. Soon I relaxed, and then, finally, I melted into his embrace in complete surrender to his desires.

He turned himself onto his back and placed me astride him. He lifted the necklace away from my skin and ran his fingers beneath it as I settled myself upon his delicious length and began to move slowly up and down upon his hardness within me. His large hands slipped to my breasts as he lifted his hips to match my rhythm and the necklace bounced gently against my skin.

The rest of the world vanished completely into nothingness beyond the chamber door. I forgot what I had been so worried about, I forgot why I had hesitated to accept his invitation, I forgot everything.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mal ~

I suddenly came to think about Mary again as I went to get something to eat at the Carrock airport inn, and I cursed my bad luck with the eagle as I imagined her reception in Mirkwood, and how the king had for sure already "welcomed" her very passionately. Now they were probably sitting at some lavish state banquet in her honour, while I was alone and abandoned to whatever dubious food items were served at a place like this.

I had just sat down at a table with my Carrock Chips and Misty Mountain Milkshake, when I was approached by two elves, who asked politely if they could join me. They seemed nice and friendly, so I said yes, happy to be distracted from my gloomy thoughts. We talked for a while about things that strangers meeting at airports talk about; the weather, delayed flights, and our respective destinations.

After a while, the younger of the two excused himself, saying that he had a matter to attend to. Before he went he took my hand, kissed it and said "Nice to meet you. My name is Rúmil, and I hope we will meet again." It sounded correct enough, but while saying these words, he looked at me as if I were something offered on the menu of a much more exquisite kitchen, and then he winked at me!

"You must forgive my brother," said the other elf. "He is a bit impulsive at times, and quite a rascal. I am Orophin. It looks like I have forgotten my manners completely."

On the contrary. Both Orophin and Rúmil had been very kind to me during our short acquaintance and I already felt that I could trust this elf. So when the bar closed for the night, I said yes to accompanying him to his room for a cup of tea.

Of course we couldn't have any tea, since the bar just closed, so it just happened that we had to have wine instead. Elves must like wine to store it in their rooms like that. It was Orophin who did most of the talking; I just couldn't get enough of hearing him describe everything in the Golden Wood. He talked quite a lot about Haldir as well, but I felt it would be rude to show excessive interest in his brother, so I was careful not to ask anything in that direction and just let him volunteer information.

Then our conversation shifted back to me and what I was doing in Middle Earth and why I was going to Mirkwood and not any of the more cheery places. It was obvious that Orophin had had his helping of Mirkwood tales as an elfling, for he seemed unwilling to understand that it was a different place now, when the evil influence of Dol Guldur was weakened. And I told him the whole story of Thranduil's visit, in great detail, and he was shocked. "You cannot mean that you intend to go there as his concubine? The king will keep you in his dungeons and only let you out when you are required in his bedchamber!"

He went on telling about the horrors of Mirkwood, at length, and I began to believe that my secret hope of being of great demand in the king's bedchamber was foolish and misdirected. The dungeons and spiders didn't sound fun at all, and Orophin nearly drove me to tears with his descriptions of the misdeeds of the harsh elf that considered himself my rightful lord now.

When we had finished the bottle, I wished that I could stay with him in that room forever, instead of having to face the result of my messing with royalty. Orophin looked truly sorry for me, and my bitter fate, so when he welcomed me into his embrace I held on to him for all that I was worth. He smelled so delicious! His arms felt so good around me. From there, it was only a matter of minutes until we ended up in bed.

When I woke up the next morning I was a little disoriented, but it felt good to have a warm body beside me and I snuggled up closer to the blond elf. But he smelled differently from the evening before, and when I sat up to have closer look, I saw that it wasn't Orophin, but his brother! He chose that very moment to open his eyes, and my shock was softened by the kind glance and mischievous smile. He winked, and pulled me down to him with an arm around my waist. "Nice to meet you again", he said. I could only laugh and kiss him flat on the mouth.

Rúmil's behaviour was scandalous, but what the heck! I decided to play along and enjoy as long as it would last. After all, it could be my last morning in freedom.

Then Orophin came back, bringing us breakfast consisting of bread and honey and we stayed long in bed, until the Lorien elves finally said, that they had to leave, as their brother expected them to be back guarding the Northern Fences that same night and they did not dare risking his anger even for my sake.

I asked them to say hello to Haldir from me, unsure if he would really recognize one member out of 500, but Rúmil said that his brother was as scrupulous with this as with everything else and kept his fan-groups under close surveillance. Haldir wouldn't miss a single member, and he most likely even kept a secret register. Orophin snorted at the last piece of information, and protested that it was not true, and I just had to smile as I could hear the two elves continue their friendly argument even after I had closed the door behind me.

When I was finally back at the departure hall, Gwaihir was nowhere to be seen and a grumpy dwarf at the check-in desk told me that this particular eagle had a constant line of bookings so when I failed to turn up at first light, he had left for Gondor instead.

Perhaps I should also do that, I thought. Leave. If not for Gondor, so for my own world. First my eagle had a health problem, then the brothers had made me oblivious of time and now Gwaihir was gone. It just had to be a sign, no, three signs, that I should not go to Mirkwood after all. The dwarf let me know that there would be no eagles available until the following day. And the one shortly to departure to Lórien was full, he added, as if anticipating my next question.

Again I found myself alone. Feeling the need for some fresh air, I went for a walk around the cliff, but the naked stone didn't do anything to lift my spirits. When I came back, I went with heavy steps to the inn and rented a room there for the night after having eaten another frugal dinner, this time in silence and without company.

It took long before I could sleep, as I kept thinking of the Elvenking and whether I should go to him or not. I wanted to see him again, but I was afraid of how he would take my hesitation. He would know, without my telling him, that the delay was not only caused by eagle problems, but also a result of my self-indulgent behaviour with Haldir's brothers. I could easily imagine the consequences of this kind of treason, and I had just come to the conclusion that life-long imprisonment in dun dungeons wouldn't be an unlikely punishment for a disobedient concubine, before I finally drifted into fitful sleep.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mary ~

While Mal found ways to delay her inevitable arrival in Mirkwood, I was enjoying my visit. The next day was mostly a blur of faces and names as I was introduced to hundreds of elves while the king took me for a tour both in and out of his gated halls. Most of his subjects lived outside the caverns in the surrounding trees, or in small thatched huts near the gates, and not inside the halls.

I was warned not to cross over the bridges of either river without an escort. The rivers were part of the power which protected the kingdom and I was told to respect them as the only boundaries of consequence. Beyond the river the beech forest did not seem as dark and terrifying as I had imagined it would, but I had no desire to explore it, even with an escort.

It turned out I did not have to wear the same gown every day, for the king had a whole wardrobe full of gowns made for me, and I even had two elf-maidens to help me dress and do my hair. They were Miriel, who also spoke the Common Tongue, and Ithilwen, who did not. They glided in and out of the king's chambers as if their feet did not quite hit the floor beneath their own skirts and I instantly envied them their grace and height while admiring their tal Eal Elven beauty.

The gowns fit me better than any store bought dress I had ever worn. How the king was able to transmit my measurements to the tailor, or seamstress, who had sewn them for me was a mystery. When I asked him, he simply shrugged and said, "Magic."

Earlier that day we breakfasted in a smaller, more intimate, dining room, with a few dozen other elves that lived within the palace, none of whom had slept yet after the night's festivities. Thranduil's seneschal, Thaladir, was even more quiet than he had been the night before, and moved with studied caution as if afraid of making any sudden movements. The other elves around the table groaned, and held their heads in mock anguish, but cheered up as the meal was served and soon were as merry as they had been at the party.

They were beautiful, as all elves are, but different looking from other elves I have met. There were a few darker-haired elves, as dark as the twins, and there were blond elves, but not very many, they mostly had lighter brown hair with green or brown eyes, instead of blue. The clothes they wore resembled camouflage wear, all soft shades of forest greens and tans, with, here and there, a deeper rust tone or darker brown hue added for contrast.

They all looked as if they would blend in with their surroundings if they were out in the forest, which made sense, considering they were wood-elves. They were quick and clever with their motions and gestures and they used their hands a lot during their conversations. I was mesmerized by them. I could not understand a single thing they said. Only the seneschal, Thaladir, spoke my language and he barely said two words to me during the meal.

The king took me outside the gates and we climbed the terraced hillside beneath which his mighty halls were built. There were plum trees and wildflowers planted all over the hillside and bushes full of fat blue-berries. Elves were there, filling buckets with the berries, or plums, and carrying them down to the huts or their homes in the trees. It appeared to be their only agriculture.

Bees buzzed around us in a continuous hum that seemed almost musical. I wondered if they were magical, too, or if the land itself was so enchanted that it enhanced everything that dwelt there with a mystical glow.

From the top of the hill one could see the straight Mirkwood road stretched out for many miles before us. The beech trees stood as straight and as perfect as fence posts on either side. There was little traffic on the road. I only saw a few pony or horse drawn carts coming into Mirkwood while we stood there. I saw no other horses that day at all and wondered if the king ever rode one.

The king showed me around the inside of his palace, too. He allowed me to sit on his enormous throne, which was carved out of some kind of wood that was almost as hard as iron. I was glad I was not the one who had to rule from that unforgiving seat. Saruman's obsidian throne at Orthanc seemed almost soft by comparison. I told Thranduil it was no wonder he was grouchy.

We ate lunch in his royal chambers, he had his own private dining room that was nearly as large as the one we breakfasted in that morning. Despite the fact that the palace is under a hill, there were some windows with tinted glass that let in daylight along one wall of the king's chambers.

Some of the windows were no more than slits in the hillside, imperceptible to the eye when looked at from outside, but the light that came through the narrow holes filled that part of the royal living space and was a nice change from the constantly flickering reddish torchlight in the deeper halls.

Not having slept much for a couple of days, I was very drowsy after lunch and the king made me nap on his bed while he left to attend to whatever business a king needs to attend to in his kingdom. I asked him to stay but he said that I needed to sleep, not play, and he wanted me well rested for later on. He did not even need to put a spell on me. After he helped me take off my gown, I climbed under the covers wearing my undershift and was asleep almost before my face was settled on the pillow.

When I awoke, I was alone and a little disoriented at first. The light from the windows was gone so the fact that it must be night was about all I could tell. Fresh candles had been lit so I knew that there must have been someone who came and went while I napped. I was hungry and I dressed myself while trying to think of how I could find the king.

I had to give up fastening my dress in the middle of my back, the little hooks and eyes were hard enough to fasten in the places I could easily reach, but the rest defeated me after I had chased myself around in circles until I felt dizzy, and, so, I just left it undone.

I peeked out into the corridor and saw the stone-faced door guards across the way but they acted like they did not see me or hear me. The king had not forbidden me to wander around his halls so I tiptoed past them but had not got very far when I heard footsteps approaching. I hurried back into the king's room and sat on a chair that was beside the fireplace and waited to see who was coming, as if I were the most patient woman who ever visited in Middle Earth.

It was the king and he had ano another gift for me.

"Is that what I think it is?" I asked.

"I think it is referred to as a lap-top computer." I was astonished, more astonished than I had been by the gowns, or the necklace, or even the big welcome feast. But, more than astonished, I was touched. I thought I had never received a more thoughtful present. I took it to a table and opened it while the king sat in the chair I had just vacated and watched me. It was wireless and could transmit mess via via satellite.

"What is the matter with your dress?" asked Thranduil.

"Oh," I said while waving my hand vaguely at my back, "I can't reach that far and I just gave up."

"Come over here, I can not have you wandering my halls half-dressed." I had never felt more dressed in my entire life but I went to the king and let him finish fastening me. "When you are at home do you leave your clothes undone in this manner?"

"If I was at home," I said carefully, "I wouldn't be wearing a gown this fancy, unless it was for a special occasion." And then, not so carefully, "So, I would probably have on my "Haldir Lives" tee-shirt and my jeans." I turned to see his face as his eyes narrowed and his jaw hardened. "Well, you asked," I said.

I slipped away from him and returned to the lap-top, which needed a password. The king only allowed me to send out one e-mail, to let everyone know I had made it to Mirkwood, and was not being imprisoned in a dungeon, or tortured for his pleasure, or eaten by giant spiders, before making me close it so I could geady ady for dinner. He decided that I should wear a fresh gown for dinner and called in the elf-maids to dress me. I waited until after they had gone to bring up the lap-top again.

"Why can't I just peek in at my fan-fic groups and see what they are all up to?"

"You are with me now, you are my guest and I will keep you entertained. You do needneed to visit with anyone else while you are in my palace. And you will not mention that march warden's name in my presence again." He took the laptop and placed it on top of the wardrobe, too far for me to reach, and escorted me down the hall to the dining room for our dinner.

"Why did you bring me that thing if you are not going to let me use it?"

"I want you to finish your story about me."

"I did finish my story about you."

"There was a lot that you left out, that needs to be told, but we will discuss that later."

I have to hand it to Thranduil. He kept me very entertained that night and I never thought about the lap-top again. After dinner, he had a few of the court musicians come to his private area to play for us there. He danced with me around the rooms, through one chamber and into another, in a slow waltz kind of step.

The king ordered them to stay, and keep play and and then he danced me into the bedchamber and left the door open so we could hear the music in bed. I quickly got over whatever embarrassment I may have felt knowing those elves were in the next room, listening to us, which was not all the difficult.


~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mal ~

When I woke up the following morning, the sun was shining brightly and I rushed off to the departure hall, afraid that it would be too late, but the dwarf had been replaced by a smiling elf-maid, who told me that the special eagle for Mirkwood was waiting at platform three.

I went there, and he wished me favourable winds in all my ways, before he crouched to allow me to climb onto his back. "To Mirkwood, then?" inquired the bird when I was seated. 'To Mirkwood', I thought. Or not? Yes. No. But then I leaned forward and looked into the eye of the great bird. It was green. Emerald.

"To Mirkwood", I said. No matter what. I was going to see the king.

t b c

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