Beauty and the Beast | Chapter 36
Previous Chapters [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35]
Read on AO3 [x]
Pairing: Thranduil/Fem. Reader
Summary: A Beauty and the Beast inspired tale with Thranduil the Elvenking and a human reader from a nearby village
Taglist: @captainchrisstan @rebleforkicks @yjrevolution @majahu @honey-wine @accio-boys @achromaticerebus @solomonssimp @tired-ass-show-girl @dreamlessnight @daddy-long-legolas @sleepyamygdala @coopsgirl @penguinlovestowrite @midsommar-nights @whore-of-many-hot-men @elvyshiarieko
note: We've finally reached the end and it's so sad because I did very much love writing this story, I almost don't want to leave these two behind!!
I read and appreciated each and every one of your comments on this, so thank you so much!
“Slow down!” You laughed, tugging Thranduil’s hand as he pulled you along behind him. “I keep treading on my dress!”
Thranduil chuckled. “Is my bride so drunk on wine that she can no longer walk properly?” He teased.
You shot him a withering look, though your heart quickened at the loving expression on his face as he looked at you. He looked quite drunk himself but you knew it was not the wine that did it.
The two of you had slipped out of the banquet hall early, making your escape so you could be alone. You had not complained as Thranduil had dragged you from the room and up the stairs to the Queen’s chambers. You would always think of this as the queen’s rooms, though you knew that you were technically King Thranduil’s ‘new Queen’ (especially to those outside the realm). However, you did not wish that role upon yourself in any other way than by some vague reference and he did not seem to care. She was the queen and you had no desire to take her place in any way.
You smiled as he pulled you out into the garden. Nobody would bother you here, you knew, though you were sure nobody would have dared tonight anyway, no matter where he had taken you. Still, you found this garden comforting so you did not mind staying out here for a while yet, under the moonlight with him. It was full in the sky tonight, you noticed, and you were as glad as ever for the little pockets of outdoors within the Woodland Realm.
“Look.” You said, gesturing to where the Starfire Roses lived. The flowers were sleeping, tucked away into little buds. They did not stir when you came near, so deep was their slumber. You smiled fondly at them and did not disturb them, turning back to Thranduil as he sat beside you.
“I am not sure what they are so tired for.” Thranduil sniffed, eyeing the roses almost suspiciously.
“Well, maybe they have had a busy day!” You nudged him, and he laughed.
You thought you saw one of the roses twitch just a little at the sound of his laugh. It was nearly imperceptible and, a moment later, you decided that you had imagined it.
The feeling of Thranduil’s hand, his thumb brushing over the back of your own, made you turn back to him with a soft smile.
“I cannot believe we ended up here.” You murmured, gazing into his eyes. They looked so alive. So full of love and life... joy. You could recall the cold way he had once regarded you, none of which remained as he sat with you now.
“It is a wonder to me as well.” He said, smirking slightly. “That you could ever have fallen for my beastly charms.”
You smiled, leaning in to kiss him briefly before you rested your head on his shoulder and closed your eyes, breathing the moment in as you felt his head come to rest upon your own. “There was never anything beastly about you, Thranduil, not really.”
You both fell silent for a while, enjoying each others company. It had been such a perfect day, you did not want it to end, though you couldn’t tell if it was because it was so lovely you wanted to live in it, or whether every days ending would bring you a little sorrow now - as it would bring you closer to leaving him in inevitable heartbreak. Perhaps it was a little of both.
Then Thranduil moved and placed a finger under your chin, tilting your head so you were looking at him again. He looked a little more serious, though his eyes were still dancing. He cleared his throat, glancing down at the new ring on his finger, before he looked back at you. “I never did thank you.”
You frowned softly at him and tilted your head, reaching for his hand. “Thank me? For what?”
His gaze was tender and full of emotion as he regarded you for only a brief second before he spoke again. “For bringing me back to life.”
It was at that very moment, a mere half second after Thranduil’s confession, that the roses suddenly all burst open, stretching their petals and reaching out towards the bench where you were both seated beside them.
There was barely time to react to the awakening, so quick was their movement and so huge was your shock for you had never seen them move so fast.
Thranduil, too, was quite stunned. The moment almost forgotten as his attention moved to the shining little blooms.
As they burst forth, the very air around them seemed to take on a shimmer that was as ethereal as their own sparkling red petals.
“Thranduil, what...?”
“I do not know.”
The shimmering continued as you blinked, watching as it... seemed to come out from the flowers themselves, moving towards you.
You shifted on the bench but you were too stunned by what you were seeing to actually move. “What are you doing?” You whispered to the roses.
They danced in response and only continued on, until you were wrapped in a glimmering haze that, to Thranduil’s eyes at least, made you look as though you were made entirely of starlight.
He was staring, completely aghast, feeling utterly powerless to understand or do a single thing. He had never before seen the roses do anything close to this.
A soft humming seemed to come from the very leaves of the plants, almost as if they were... singing. The glimmer continued, wrapping around you before settling upon you, and then seeming to evanesce away into your very skin.
As quickly as it began, it was finished.
Silence descended.
You blinked at the roses, watching them sway gently before you, appearing to be looking between both you and Thranduil. Thranduil was still staring at you, frozen, feeling as though his voice had completely left him.
You had to admit you were not faring much better.
“I, uh... it... they...” You swallowed hard, blinking at the roses and then at Thranduil. You had never seen him look so perplexed.
Suddenly, he seemed to come back to himself, turning his attention swiftly from you back to the roses. He frowned at them. They merely shivered in response.
“They... they look tired...” You managed, once you had it in you to actually look at them properly. They seemed to have become sleepy again, almost as if they had used up all of their energy.
Thranduil stirred then, kneeling before them in one swift movement as he reached his hands out towards them. They turned fully to him as well, allowing his fingers to brush their petals, sharing with him their message in the way that most plant and animal life could converse with the Elvenking.
When he turned again, to look back at you in amazement, there were tears shining in his eyes.
“What?” You asked, your tone practically pleading at this point. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Wrong?” Thranduil shook his head, shuffling back towards you, still on his knees.
Oh, if his people could see him now, you thought.
“Nothing is wrong... nothing at all. Oh my...” He lifted his hands to your face and looked at you like he was studying you, every part of you, and you could only frown softly back at him. You couldn’t make much sense of his actions or his words.
“Then why are you crying?” You asked quietly, your voice breaking slightly as you looked at him, watching a tear travel down his cheek.
He blinked back at you, his mouth curving into a soft smile. “These are... they are happy tears, little human...”
“I don’t understand.” You told him, raising one of your hands to his face and brushing the tear away with your thumb.
Thranduil only leaned in and kissed you with a fervent passion and, though you were still confused, you let him. He seemed to be at a complete loss for words.
Finally, he pulled back again, sitting on the heels of his boots with his hands in your lap, fingers entwined with your own.
“They were fast asleep.” He said, and you nodded, still not understanding. His smile only widened. “They were fast asleep, and they have been since last we were out here with them."
"This whole time?” You spluttered, glancing past him towards the roses, who still looked drowsy from their odd display. “Are they sick?” You were suddenly worried but then, you realised that couldn’t be it because he would not be happy as he said he was.
Thranduil shook his head. “They were resting. They were gathering their strength... all their strength. As much as they would need.”
“Need for what?”
He paused, eyes shining again with fresh tears as he looked back at you. He was practically clutching at your hands. “To bond with you."
You stared at him in silence for a second, your frown deepening. "What?"
"They linked themselves to you, with you."
"I... okay, but..." Your gaze flickered between Thranduil and the roses before settling back on his face. "But what does that mean, Thranduil?"
He saw you were growing frustrated with the lack of information and suddenly felt bad about his apparent lack of ability to communicate, which was most unlike him - but this was a thing such as he had never encountered before, in all his long years.
"It means, melda, that as long as these magnificent little roses bloom... so too, will you." He lifted your hands to his mouth, kissing them both. "They have tied themselves to you, and you to them. You will live as long as they do."
You could only stare dumbly at him. "Wait. You mean...?" How was this possible and why would they do that? "How long do Starfire Roses live?" You asked him then.
Thranduil nodded, his eyes filling again as his smile only got bigger. "They live... for as long as they are not cut or picked."
The entire truth of it dropped on you then, as heavily as it had for him.
Neither of you said anything else but there was no need to. You both understood now.
Promptly, you burst into tears and fell forward to join Thranduil on your knees on the grass, wedding dress be damned. He laughed and kissed your tears away before pulling you down with him and lying there with you on the grass, gazing up at the sky, practically glowing in the knowledge that you could now be with him forever.
Though, through all his joy, he did make a mental note to double the guard on this side of the palace lest some vagabond breaks in a third time.
After watching for a few moments, the roses sighed in contentment and then began to curl back up, drifting off together into another much needed, and well deserved, sleep.
They had seen and heard your fears the other night, and they had seen and heard Thranduil's own echoed in his responses. It had been a very long time since they had seen the Elvenking in such a way.
Long after you had both left the garden had they talked together, whispering beneath the night sky, and it had not been difficult for them to come to a decision. For they had promised their beloved Queen that if anything should ever happen to her, they would care for the King in any and every way they possibly could.
And so you would live on, tending and nurturing the selfless, wonderful little flowers that had bestowed upon you such a precious gift.
You would live on, at Thranduil's side. Human but unchanging as the years passed by.
Thranduil, too, would live on. No longer a creature hiding in darkness, nursing a broken soul. For he had found love again, in the most unlikely place and in the most unlikely person.
One who had, despite all the odds, seen the beauty within the beast.
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Beauty and the Beast | Chapter 26
Previous Chapters [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25]
Read on AO3 [x]
Pairing: Thranduil/Fem. Reader
Summary: A Beauty and the Beast inspired tale with Thranduil the Elvenking and a human reader from a nearby village
Taglist: @captainchrisstan, @rebleforkicks, @yjrevolution, @majahu, @honey-wine, @accio-boys, @achromaticerebus, @solomonssimp, @tired-ass-show-girl, @dreamlessnight, @daddy-long-legolas, @sleepyamygdala, @coopsgirl @penguinlovestowrite
The long carven tables were piled with trays upon trays of food and drink. Fruit, meat, cakes, a few things you could not even name. The kitchens must have worked overtime for this festival but given the amount of elves there were currently seated in this hall, it was hardly surprising. The entire room was buzzing with conversation and laughter. Everybody was drinking merrily. The hall itself had turned out to be completely open-topped, the clear winter sky shining down upon the merriment below. As the time passed, soon enough you would all be feasting and drinking beneath the stars. Feast Beneath a Winter Sky, indeed.
You ate and drank and enjoyed the atmosphere of the room. You talked with those at the table with you, mostly Legolas as Thranduil’s attentions seemed to be rather consistently monopolised by those around him. It didn’t bother you, of course, you understood that he was the king and he had a great deal of duties, even during an event such as this. You had watched him stand to give a speech not too long ago that had officially started the entire festival and he seemed to keep getting caught in conversation with council members and staff or visitors from other realms who had travelled for the festival.
To anyone simply passing, Thranduil was as smooth as ever as he entertained his guests and drank copious amounts of his favourite wine. His frustrations, however, were mildly rising in a secret place within him because it seemed that every time he turned his attention on you, to engage you in conversation, he was pulled in several other different directions that he simply could not ignore. At least you seemed to be having a good enough time talking to Legolas and enjoying the food and drink that had been prepared but he would have liked just a moments peace to include himself into that equation.
It came soon enough, of course, when the music the minstrels were playing changed into something different. A more upbeat, jovial tune intended to get everybody up onto their feet and dancing. It was quite a popular elven song, though you would not have heard it before, and many elves were eager to begin dancing and singing along.
Your gaze followed groups of elves as they rose from their tables and turned towards the dancefloor. You watched their bodies move with the music, fascinated. They danced alone, in pairs, or little groups though this was mostly the much younger ones. They moved more gracefully than you could have ever hoped to achieve but you didn’t care as you were suddenly overcome with the desire to join in with them. The joy in the air was palpable and it was like it was pulling you in.
You turned your head to look at Thranduil, finding him already watching you, and you couldn’t hold back the bright smile on your face as you reached out to him. Your hands found his arm and you clutched at the sleeve of his tunic with an excitement he found difficult to ignore. “Come and dance with me!” You glanced towards the floor again before turning back to him. “Please.”
Legolas looked up from his plate and spoke your name, drawing your attention. “Alas, my father is not much for dancing at these events, I am afraid.” He thought it was better if he got in ahead and told you, rather than his father having to actually say the words and let you down, considering how Legolas had seen you looking at him lately. Maybe it would sting just a little less coming from somebody else. “I may not be quite up to standard but I should be more than happy to spare you a dance or two in his stead, my friend.”
“Actually, Legolas.” Thranduil cut in smoothly, still looking at you even as his son had briefly drawn your attention from him. The slightest hint of disappointment had started to bleed into your enthusiasm, your shoulders dropping just barely. “I think I can quite manage one dance.” He said simply, moving to stand. He extended his arm towards you, watching you rise up from your chair with another smile as you reached out to take his offered hand. He turned and led you towards the floor, leaving his son blinking in his wake.
When Legolas was able to pull himself away from staring in at his father’s back as he led you away, he turned to look at Galion, whose eyebrows were practically touching the heavens. Galion met Legolas’ eyes and then the two of them started laughing.
“Well, my Prince, that is quite the development.” Galion muttered, plucking a goblet of wine off the table and draining the contents in one swift gulp.
“Indeed it is, Galion...” Legolas replied, his expression turning thoughtful as he suddenly stood and turned to move quickly around the outskirts of the room.
The crowd parted like an ocean as the king made his way across the dancefloor, a wide space opening up in the very middle. Thranduil led you to the centre of the room and turned to you, inclining his head slightly. You smiled up at him before you gathered the skirts of your dress and bowed low before him. You lifted your head after a moment, looking up at him. Thranduil was smiling affectionately down at you as he offered you his hand again. You took it, returning his smile, and he pulled you gracefully back upright and, not breaking eye contact, pressed a soft kiss to the back of your hand.
A soft murmur broke out around the room.
Just as Thranduil seemed to be about to begin to move, the tune changed, and something much slower started to ring out across the hall. It seemed to switch out mid song but you didn’t have much time to focus on analysing that as Thranduil suddenly pulled you close, needing no such time to recover, his other hand dropping to your waist as he pulled you in.
Your breath hitched as you blinked up at him, all too aware of his closeness. “I--I don’t really...” Know how to dance like this.
He simply smiled and shook his head, seemingly aware of what you were trying to say. “Just follow my lead.” He murmured as he began to gently pull you with him across the floor.
The watchful eyes of many curious and stunned elves fixed upon the near inconceivable sight of a strange little human dancing with their detached king seemed to go unnoticed. Everything else seemed almost as thought it had melted away completely as all you and Thranduil seemed able to look at was each other. Even Legolas, standing by the minstrels after sneaking over and getting them to change the song to something slower that would force you two closer together, went unseen as Thranduil twirled you around the floor.
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