runando ~ A Thranduil Story

Blind

To have acted upon his own sudden instincts was quite unlike Thranduil. Normally, he'd follow protocol to the tee, but this was out of the ordinary. He had no idea what he was going to do with this elleth, he didn't need any more healers and it's not like he had space in the palace to accommodate her. Perhaps it was because she was one of the few who was able to actually answer to him without stuttering and fumbling over their words, perhaps she'd manage to get an ounce of respect out of him.

Impressive indeed.

As the three of them walked through the halls, over root bridges and through wooden corridors, Thranduil found himself quite caught up in his thoughts. This wasn't unusual, the King often found himself sorting through his head. It was one of the few sources of entertainment he could find while cooped up in the halls. If he were to be completely honest, the girl intrigued him. Just from observing her eyes, he felt like she was young but old at the same time, she had seen much more than a normal elleth of her age. She was unique, out of the ordinary, it was obvious to him that she had been blind for a good amount of time, but most definitely wasn't born with the defect. She had a story behind her and he wanted to hear all about it.

For a woman who had been wandering through the woods, Laineth certainly didn't look like she had. Oddly enough, her feet were bare, no shoes, no boots, nothing. She wore a black dress, no sleeves but instead, there were tendril-like pieces of the dress that wound around her arms, acting like sleeves but obviously not doing a good job. The dress reached her feet and covered her ankles, rips in various parts. So, it was no surprise to her that everyone from guards to maids to the various guests of the King stared at her with a form of curiosity. Her hair was a dark chestnut brown, the top layer tied back into a plait, the rest of it flowing just past her shoulders. A scar had formed just below her left ear, trailing down to curve along her jawline.

"How is the child?" Thranduil finally spoke up, pacing up ahead of Laineth and her guard. She had to think for a second, not entirely sure what he was talking about. A small 'ah!' echoed from her mouth the moment she remembered she had helped a young boy before the townpeople huddled her to the gate.

"He will be fine, my Lord. He might have a bruise or two, but it could have been a lot worse had I not gotten to him. He fell from a great height, I was quite concerned, you see," She replied, her eyes darting around to try and make out where the walls where and where the floor was taking her.

"That is good to hear, I am sure his mother and father are extremely grateful for your help, as am I. The trees are ever so tempting to the elflings, it always pains me to hear when one of them has fallen."

Laineth nodded in response, the Elvenking turning his head slightly to look at her. Then, he turned to the guard, "Escort her to the dressers, I would think that our new healer friend would like something to wear that wasn't full of rips. After that, bring her to the library, I will meet her there."

The guard nodded in response, "Of course, my King."

|\|\|\|\|

The dressers were lovely to Laineth, despite her ragged appearance. They seemed to immediately notice her blindness, the two of them taking one arm each to help her into a new dress. She'd never realized her old dress was so ruined, she only had that one and maybe two or three others, she assumed the others were just as tattered as the black one.

The dressers were called Arnriel and Virleth, they were both incredibly sweet. From the tone of their voices and their constant questions about what it was like in the forest, Laineth assumed they were both quite young, at least five hundred years younger than her if not more. Laineth herself was nearing the 3040 mark, she was getting on, in a few thousand years she'd likely have to travel to Valinor, if she'd be permitted to. If not, well, she hadn't gotten that far yet.