Jewel In The Palace(Lord Of The Rings Fanfiction)

Bonds

~~O~~

"Thranduil..."

A female voice suddenly whispered to him...

"You must come here quickly. Your wife is fading..."

His heart beat faster. It thumped so hard inside of him it seemed to drown out his hearing as he lifted up his feet, not conscious of his action. He then saw an elf guard walking fast towards him, he bowed to the king and panic could be read on his face.

"My lord." he exclaimed. "A great eagle landed in front of the gate. It's looking for you."

Without a second thought, he sprinted in the direction of the main gate, zigzagging through the twists and turns of his halls. Seeing the large beast waiting for him, Thranduil could not believe it. The eagle looked at him and through his eyes, the Elvenking understood its purpose.

"Manwe sent you." he whispered.

The guards nearby gathered around the eagle, all waiting for their king's decision. "My lord...the Queen." one of them said.

The offer sounded wonderful to Thranduil. So wonderful he couldn't resist and so he accepted Manwe's help. "Take me to Lorien." he said in Elvish as he rode on the eagle. And so the beast spread its large wings and flew in the sky.

It did not take long until he arrived in Lorien. The guards made way for him and he met Celeborn once again. "Where is she?" he asked. "In the healing room with your son."

Thranduil noticed his frown and reassured him one thing. "I will fix this."

"You told me you will heal her." Celeborn reminded him.

"I will fix this and I will make it right." Thranduil turned to him.

"You must." the other one said. "Manwe is watching."

~~O~~

Mirialia looked around. Thousands and thousands of wild flowers surrounded her. The colors all blurred together as she picked up a lily and spun the flower in her fingers.

"Where am I?" she asked herself. "Am I still in Lorien?"

All there were was flowers. Flowers everywhere. If she had felt anything at the sight, Mirialia would have prayed for anyone there. But all her emotions were bound into a small, tight knot in her heart. She tried to walk but she didn't know where to go. Her footsteps ceased and she took a deep breath, unsure of whether she could really go through with it all.

"I have to do this. I have to." she reassured herself.

Taking an uneasy step, Mirialia opened her mouth to speak, wishing the Valar could hear her. "If anyone is out there, I wasn't sure where I was going but then I just ended up here..."

But Mirialia stopped. She felt the end of her sentence freeze in her throat and she was unable to complete it. Hot tears filled her eyes, spilling down into the grass before her.

"I might lose somebody I'm in love with." She cried harder. "I did not even tell him goodbye, and I might never get to see him again."

She was about to continue when a voice suddenly spoke up. "Well, what did you turn him loose for?" She spun around, coming face to face with the elf who held her heart. "Thranduil."

Mirialia was shocked as she looked at him, a confused expression written all over her face. "This is...just...a dream." she whispered as she closed her eyes and opened them again. But Thranduil still remained standing a few feet away from her.

"Come now, you did not answer my question. My love." His lips curled up in a half-smile.

Mirialia blinked her eyes, still forcefully fighting the tears. Suddenly, she felt two hands on her arms and she was pulled forward gently. "I failed...you." Her muffled voice said through the folds of his robe.

"You never failed anyone." Thranduil murmured, stroking Mirialia's back. His soothing voice whispered in her ear with such care. "I am proud of you. We all are."

"I'm sorry, I ran away." she whispered as she stared at the ground.

"Forgive me." His next words surprised her. "Will you forgive me?"

"Forgiveness is something everybody deserves and...needs." she answered. "Are we still going to be together?"

"You are not in the condition of fading away just yet." He held her even closer. "No one can break us apart. No one can manipulate us--for nothing can affect our bond." His embrace was soft, his words were firm yet tender and her heart was touched. There was no reply, for there was no use for one. There was only but sweet silence.

How could she have left her defenses down so easily? How could one single hug break through her walls so fast? Mirialia just didn't understand.

"I no longer want to sit up at night and talk to the stars, hoping that you could hear me." Thranduil broke the silence. "Let's go back."

"But....this place is--" Mirialia was a bit confused. They were standing in an unknown place. She wanted to tell that to him but she was cut off.

"Shh." Thranduil quieted her, bringing her face up to look at him. "Do not say another word. Don't speak."

But Mirialia was ready to speak again when his lips touched hers."Quiet." He brushed at her tears, leaned closer, and kissed his wife more definitively.

~~O~~

When she opened her eyes, she found herself lying in her bed. She was back at the healing room of Lorien. She looked around and confirmed it. The only thing that was added in the room was Thranduil, leaning back from the kiss and from her. She sat upright and stared at him.

"How could that have happened?" she asked him. "How did we get back here?"

Thranduil's grin widened at her questions. "Innocence. Looks like it is a gift I can never take away from you." She tilted her head slightly, desperately searching his eyes for some kind of answer.

Slowly, he walked away from her until he was standing at the foot of her bed. He looked at the ground for a moment then gazed back to her.

"I could save a thousand lives and never meet someone quite like you. I could win a thousand fights, I could work day and night and all the treasures I have would not buy you." Thranduil paused, strongly fighting the tears. "Life is precious, Miriel. So I want to cherish each moment with you."

She felt it; he was hurt too. Mirialia nodded. "And I will not run away...ever again."

"I..." She closed her eyes; she didn't quite understand why she was nervous to say it but before she could even think, her husband spoke the words.

"I love you."

"I love you too." she whispered.

They were just words but they felt like so much more to them.

It was a pledge. A promise. A bond. To say those words and mean them...it was to promise that he would always be there for her, always protect her and to be strong for her and keep her safe. It was to pledge that she would always come first in his life, that from now on, his needs came second to hers. It was living to be there for someone else; living for someone else while they lived for you.

When Thranduil left her to speak with Celeborn, a thought ran on her head. She made a decision...a choice.

"It is within my power to free myself from the duties of a queen by leaving...but it is also within my power to stay here for him, for love gives me this power. I choose to stay. Not for any stupid reason but for the good of the elf I love. For the good of everyone I love."

Mirialia nodded her head. Biting her lip, she got off the bed and changed her clothes. She was ready to go home.

~~O~~