Noira's POV

My eyes shot open and I felt as all the blood run up into my face. Hiding it into the pillow - I knew now that was Thranduil's chest - I was waiting another minute before looking up. Even if the room was pretty dark, he was probably watching me all the while.

God, I hope I did not kick him!

I didn't want to even imagine it. As I was thinking of the Iceberg sitting on his throne, like the first time we met, wearing his fine tunic, robes, crown and that aristocratic look... I really hoped, the ground would open, and whelm me. This picture made me feel small in a second, but it was time to raise my head anyway.

'Morning' I pushed myself up, and could not be more surprised. The great elven king was sleeping soundly, like a little elfling. His limp arm was still hugging me, as it was, when he fell asleep next to me. I've never seen him this natural, this unguarded before. My fingertips slowly stroked along his cheeks and the soft skin of his neck, what felt hot under my touch. I could fall in love at that very moment, if I have not been in love with him already. I placed a little kiss onto his parted cherry lips gingerly.

It didn't seem, he would wake up anytime soon, so I lay back, now turning and pressing my back against his chest. I started to stroke his forearm in front of me, while was thinking of what time could that be. It was in the evening, for the sun went down, but I had a strange feeling, I usually did something habitual at this time.

He suddenly stirred, and pushed his face into my neck. I felt his hot breath against my skin with every exhalation. I knew, calling an Iceberg cute, or calling a king cute was not the best choice of words, but I did it several times in my mind at least.

I chuckled and closed my eyes again. We were after a grueling celebration. Not to mention the swimming in the pond – and later in the river. As I reached the end of this thought, the door suddenly opened, and I've got my answer immediately, as Freya's sharp childish voice cut the massive silence. I was waving with both of my hands, but of course, she didn't wear any eyes on her back.

'Dinner's served soon my lady' she closed the door, and turned to the bed. The little light, she was holding, slowly filled the room, and when she saw, there was another body next to mine, as I expected, she screamed, as if someone wanted to kill her. I could feel through my clothes, Thranduil's heart tried to jump out. He sat up all of a sudden and stared at the maiden.

'ARE YOU INSANE, CHILD?! GET OUT OF MY CHAMBER NOW!'

'But...' she started in shock, realizing who the ellon was.

'BUT WHAT?' he yelled back, and followed her gaze, as she slowly looked around in the room. He seemingly needed some time to wake up fully.

'Well, get out anyhow' he sighed, and the mentioned child run out in a blink of an eye, avoiding the possibility of an execution. Thranduil fell back next to me, and rubbed his tired eyes.

'Well, this is not how I expected it...' I was sure. 'Nightmares?' he asked drowsily, turning toward me.

'Not one' I shook my head.

'Very well. What about dinner?'

'Actually, I could eat something. I just don't have the mood to get out of the bed'

'Then we must dine here' he killed a yawn.

'Could you solve it?' I sat up excited.

'I'll give a try' he said sarcastically, and I lay back and hugged him.

My stupidity is infinite. That is now official.

'Thank you' I whispered into his pointed ear. 'Then, I can confess now, I am about to starve'

'You think your maiden is still in the palace to make our plate, or she reached the borders for now?'

°°

Freya was not at the border of the kingdom, but that doesn't mean, it was easy to find her in the palace. She thought, the guards were searching for her to cut her neck, for she has seen his majesty in a single nightgown, or just because she woke him up. That would have been possible on another day, but luckily, the elven king was in a less bloody mood currently. Thranduil finally commanded his personal servant instead to bring something to eat, while we were searching for some robes, hiding our defective attire. His clothes were silver, mine was purple, as the early sky. We drank some wine, and he told me about the strange vegetables, what were still new for me. One of them was almost black. Who the hell would have thought, it was edible? I took a bite from every one of them, but I had to smile time after time. There was a point, he could not bear it anymore.

'What' he looked seriously. I shook my head, but he kept waiting anyway. It's a royal thing, I suppose.

'Hhh... You're so disheveled' I stated quietly. He raised his eyebrows.

'And you're not?'

'Yes, but I've never seen anybody this handsome with a hair like this' I laughed, and kissed his surprised lips. He kissed back, making it deeper. It was always hard to pull away from him - for I never wanted to. As his lips touched mine and he pressed me against his strong chest, it lighted a pleasant fire in my belly. A wave of heat washed over me every single time. I needed more from him. Just when my hand reached his neck, he pulled away. He always did. Even if I could see his lust in those bright blue eyes, what seemed darker, when he was with me.

'Do you trust me, Noira?' he asked.

'I do' I looked up at him questioning.

'While you were sleeping, I had the time for a little thinking. My son left the realm. The elleth, he was fond of, followed the dwarfs along the river, and Legolas run after her. He doesn't have much time to find her, till the borders will be closed for him as-'

'You closed the borders?'

'I'll tell you about that later. What I try to say is, his act was more, than unexpected for me. I had to realize, I cannot protect somebody without having any knowledge of his intentions. This thing frightened me quite' he took some hair behind my ears, still looking down at me kindly. 'Would you be so kind, and told me about yourself? Would you allow me to get to know you by knowing what had happened with you, before we met?'

My mouth stayed open. That was something I so much didn't expect to do near and far. I sighed and lowered my gaze. He cupped my face gently, and made me look back at him. 'Would you give that gift to me?' he whispered softly.

If he was just not that sweet... Please, how could I speak about almost three thousand years? How could I speak about those things, I tried to forget so hard? If there was a way not to live them again in my head... However remembering, I was living in his home months long now, without answering any questions, I could not help, I felt I was that trespasser, I was called before.

'I am glad, you allowed me to stay here, without telling you why and where I had come from. I also shouted things like you did not deserve my answers, and so' I smiled bitterly. 'But the truth is, I was just afraid of thinking of it again. Could we maybe... give a try to that thing, how I broke into your memories? Maybe you could do the same, and I should not...' I didn't finish the sentence, but he understood it anyway. We were sitting on the edge of my bed, at the fire's dim light, and were almost as excited as the little elflings, who were about to play with something, they were not allowed.

'How was that? I asked. 'I don't remember that well only of you, the cell and the handcuffs... and your sword...'

'You have simply touched me' he huffed, not wishing to remember of the circumstances.

'Alright, let's do it then' I nodded, and sat there stock still. He moved his hands hesitantly, and very gently, placed his palms onto my bare forearms. We were waiting with tightly closed eyes for a minute, but nothing happened.

'Are you concentrating?' he sighed.

'Were you concentrating, when you tried to cut me down?' I responded with false anger in my voice, and he rolled his eyes. 'Okay, now I am concentrating anyway, try it again. Touch me on my head now' I tried to go back to old moments, when I was an elfling, and then, his fingertips barely touched my forehead. I opened one eye.

'Psst... Thranduil' I whispered, and he looked at me questioning. So nothing again. He sighed, and stood up, trying to accept the fact, there was something in his realm, he could not control, and that thing has chosen not to work for him. I can tell you, this was something, he could hardly tolerate. I walked to the window. Pulling the heavy curtain away, my glance rested on the night forest, what looked like a dark ocean, as the pure starlight glimmered on the wet leaves.

'It starts to get cold' I said, changing the subject. Not even a moment has passed, when I felt his arms and robes around me.

'Is it better now? he asked, but when I opened my mouth to response, something fell to the floor behind me.

Thranduil's POV

For a short moment, the whole world went dark, and I've lost the soil from under my feet. It felt like a chilly shock along my whole body. In the next moment, a sharp light reached my sight, blinding me completely. My first thought was, I better be in Noira's memory, because if not, I can be easily killed. If you're ruling a realm, it's just not that lucky, if you're slain. I should have never come here.

My blurry sight cleared slowly, and I started to realize the environment. It was different from anything, I have ever seen in my long life. As far as I could see, snow covered the ground and the top of the trees. Those trees... Their boles and leaves were white as the snow itself. I was standing in the middle of a glade, tall forest surrounded me from every direction, making me feel, I was captured. I tried to move, but I could not.

I glanced up at the sky. It was not blue, but purple. Not as in Mirkwood at dawn, but totally and massively purple. I was turning, searching for the Sun, but instead I found three silver planets, what were similar to the Moon, but much bigger. They formed a triangle. I wanted to find somebody, for I didn't think, I should have been alone here. The icy wind tore my robes and hair widely, but I did not sense the cold fortunately. It would have probably killed me in that case.

My feet suddenly moved on its own, and I glanced down at them in shock. I could not control my moves, I took step after step toward the thick forest. At the moment, when I reached its border, I gasped and stood there stock still for a while.

It was like a miracle. The snow did not enter here, and the ground was covered with green, elsewhere blue grass, and colorful shining rocks. Their lights painted the boles' white surfaces light blue, purple or green. My legs moved again, and I nearly fell for it tore me out of my amazement. As I was walking forward, I saw some huge white birds flying above. Their voice sounded like a melody, and I started to feel strange. My previous nervousness and fear left my heart, and I almost found myself smiling. I just lowered my gaze, when I finally stopped.

Right in front of me, a little bluish pond was glimmering, as the forest's hidden jewel. A tall, slim, black haired elleth was standing at the edge of the water, with her familiar long ears and her back toward me. She wore those strange clothes, what Noira has wore, when she entered my realm. It was her. Before I knew, I smiled and stepped forward.

'Noira' I called her name. She did not turn, not even stir. I shook my head. Of course, she could not hear me.

'Noira' sounded her silky voice. I furrowed my forehead. She called the name again and again, but nothing has happened. She sighed, and sat down. Just then I saw, she was holding a sharp lance. 'Come to me, my darling, I know, you were following me' And then, a little, pale, black haired elfling run to us from behind a rock. When I took a look at her shining dark eyes, I was sure, she was Noira, and not the elleth in front of me.

'I wish to help you, mom' she said on her childish voice shamefully, and gazed her bare feet. The elleth hugged the little one gently.

'How many times do I have to tell you? Roads are dangerous, and you don't use your power that well. You have to learn a lot before-'

'But I can help with fishing! With ice! Mom, look!' Her mother could not reach her in time. Noira run to the water, and placed her little palm onto its mirror. I didn't know if she expected the fishes jump out or not, but the whole pond froze in a blink of an eye. Her mother put her little hand out of the freezing water in the last moment. Noira started to sob bitterly.

'Next time you accompany me, it will work, Noira, don't cry' she swallowed her nervousness.

'But now we cannot eat anything. You are sad'

'I am not' she said lightly, and the little one smiled immediately. 'I wanted to find some birds for dinner anyway. Who wants to eat fish all the time? What do you think? Your brother would like some lilac fowl?'

Suddenly, a deep voice filled the air, making us feel, it was speaking into our ears directly. A mountain could have this kind of voice. Or a ghost. A storm. I could not see anybody arrive, despite I turned around immediately. He used a strange language, I did not understand, but the two elleths stood stock still, as the blood would have been frozen in their veins. A moment later, the sound, the elleths, the forest, everything disappeared.

°°

As suddenly as the picture darkened, it cleared again, and a smaller panic rushed through me. I found myself sitting on the back of a huge sized bird, flying in the now green air, above snowy mountains about a million feet high. The animal had silver plume, but its claw reminded me of the lion's paw. It could not have been a wise thing, hurting his feeling, I was sure. These creatures could be deathly proud and dangerous. But if it was the creature, I've read about in a fairy tale, they would fight until death to protect their owners, by the way, so it was not an idiotic idea, holding one. Noira hugged its neck lovingly, while the young man behind her shouted up to the air with joy, barely touching her waist.

'Lucien, hold me tight you fool' she laughed, and as he did so, she raised up the pace. Lucien... I remembered this name. She told me something about him earlier.

'Come on, Pharaon!' she stroked the bird's neck, and it tweeted gladly. We flew so fast above the beautiful winter lands, I had to concentrate to see the little rivers and sharp rocks clearly below us. Sometimes, I could catch some smoking chimneys, what could sign a house or a smaller village. As the time has passed, the sky darkened, it looked like an emerald blanket. Soon we have found ourselves in the middle of a snowstorm. They didn't seem, as they would have been freezing, but a minute later, we landed next to a little house anyway. The snow has covered this little building too, but it looked warm even from the outside. They looked around, glaring the forest for a while. It was as silent as a grave. They had to be young, only two hundred years old or so.

The ellon had the same white skin, dark eyes, and black hair, hanging down to his shoulders. Except his eyes, like the young Fräynn, I thought, but laughed at myself immediately. What a foolish thought. My captain is still as young as the new trees in the garden. He mounted off first, and gave his hand to Noira.

'You know, you ride as a madman?'

'Have you vomited?' she asked back, raising a brow. 'Then shut up, my little brother' she laughed.

'I'm the older one' he huffed.

'Then act like that! Good night, Pharaon!' she jumped down. The bird walked into the woods and they walked toward the entrance. I followed them into the little living room. The walls and all of the furniture, everything was made from wood. The old branches were crackling in the great fireplace quietly, while the little flames gave a kind atmosphere to the room. There was not much thing there, it looked poor. Only a little table with a chair, and a comfortable armchair near to the fire. As I walked nearer, I glimpsed at an older ellon sitting on the ground. Despite of his age, there was something elegant in his presence. His noble face, clever eyes, long grey hair, it made him almost aristocratic. He reminded me of my father, Oropher for a short moment.

'Adar' the young ellon bowed, and sat to the table. Noira walked there and placed a kiss onto his father's cheek, what he thanked with a warm smile. She sat down next to him, and took a look at the strange stones, his father was pushing here and there, until they formed a triangle.

'How have you proceeded today?' she asked, barely touching their surfaces. I heard her brother laugh under his breath. Noira turned to him with clear anger on her face. He stood her gaze.

'What?' he asked. 'Should we help him in his insanity?' he asked. Noira looked at him, if she could not know, if she had heard him clearly.

'Choose your words wisely-' she started.

'DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, TILL YOU ENCOURAGE HIM TO BELIEVE IN A WORD OF AN ANGEL, WHO JUST MAGICALLY LANDED IN FRONT OF HIM ONCE' he yelled, and stepped toward their father. 'AS LONG AS YOU BUILD PORTALS, WE ARE IN MORTAL DANGER, YOU KNOW THAT VERY WELL! THAT'S WHY MOM HAS TO WORK IN THE CASTLE OF THAT MONSTER, CALLED KING!' he finished, and slapped the front door behind him. Noira moved toward him, but his father's sound stopped her.

'Come here, my child. Let him leave' his deep voice sounded patiently, and he placed his palms above the stones. They started to glimmer, and created little lights, as lightnings. Noira was watching his every movement with enchantment. 'He has every reason to be mad. Your brother has to look as his kin is suffering under King Roul's bloody ruling, for there was nobody, who could sit into his throne for long years. Until he was born. Our blood is special and noble, you know that. Everybody knows that. Lucien would have been able to defeat him and rule this realm, but somehow, only God knows why...' he looked up at his daughter. 'Somehow our power's greatest form is living on in you, and not my first born child. In you and not in Lucien. This is something, he can hardly bear. Sometimes I am afraid, he does something wrong in his endless lust for ruling' he sighed.

'He could also build portals, if he learn it from you'

'Indeed, but he is not interested in anything, I could teach him. Your brother is deeply hurt in his pride. And actually, as long as building them is highly forbidden by his majesty, I cannot blame him' he smiled sadly. 'I just hope, it will be finished in time' he looked down at the stones again.

'What is that time? What has the lady said?'

'She has not said that, my darling, and I don't wish to paint dark shadows in front of your young and hopeful eyes' he held her hands softly. 'You have to promise me however, you will do as I have said. Please, don't even hesitate, step into the triangle, when everything ends' I heard his voice fading, and the world went black for me once again.