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Soul Wandering by Silver-crowned Valkyrie
Hobbit & Game of Thrones Xover Rated: M, English, Romance & Fantasy, Elvenking Thranduil, Daenerys T., Words: 206k+, Favs: 258, Follows: 278, Published: Jan 27, 2018 Updated: Jun 14
116Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Daenerys woke to the sound of keys turning in the lock.
"Who is there?" she began anxiously, but was relieved to see Luineth's face. She was accompanied by another elleth, and both stepped inside her cell.
"Le suilon, Daenerys! I hope you slept well", Luineth said cheerfully.
Daenerys sat up and pushed the covers aside. She blinked a couple of times, trying to chase the drowsiness from her eyes. "Is it morning already?" she muttered. She wished she would have slept a bit more, as she still felt not entirely rested.
"This is Istuives. She will be your tutor", Luineth introduced the other elf.
"Mae g'ovannen, Daenerys. It is our King's wish that you are taught Sindarin", Istuives explained. Her voice was deeper and richer than Luineth's, and her eyes were grey and sparkled with wisdom of ages past. She had dark hair, dark brown edging upon black. Her face was beautiful, though a bit angular.
And then it struck Daenerys that all the elves she had seen seemed ageless to her; it was impossible to tell whether they were young or old. The only clue to their years was, perhaps, their gaze. Comparing these two, Luineth seemed much younger than Istuives, for her eyes were bright and her look carefree. On the contrary, the tutor's eyes were deep and keen, and her gaze observant and mellow.
Istuives approached the table and unfolded the bundle she was holding, taking out the books she carried one by one and carefully placing them on the table. Luineth came as well and gave Daenerys a glass of milk along with a buttered slice of bread. "To break your fast, before you begin studying", she said.
Daenerys eyed the food she was offered with gratitude. "Thank you", she said.
Istuives turned her grey eyes to her. "Le hannon", she said pointedly. "This is our first lesson. Le hannon."
Daenerys watched her face. She meant for her to repeat the words. "Le hannon", she said after her, and the elf nodded. "Le hannon", she told Luineth, who was now smiling sweetly.
"Very well! You learn quickly", she chimed. Then she turned to Istuives and said, "She is intelligent. I am sure she will give you no trouble."
With that Luineth left, leaving the other two to begin their lesson. Daenerys consumed her breakfast quickly, as Istuives arranged the books and the quills on the table, which she brought close to the bed. She was also provisioned with candles, for the cell was rather dark, and had no other means of lighting but a lantern outside it.
The elleth picked a book and opened it to the first page. The letters of the Sindarin alphabet were drawn there in neat calligraphy. Daenerys gazed at them curiously.
Istuives gave her a quill and a piece of paper. "Now, we should begin with the basics…"
The days went by fast, rolling into weeks. Daenerys proved an avid learner, and she could now write and read some basic Sindarin. Speaking was still not so easy for her, but she was making progress. The elves had been treating her very well, but she had given them no cause to do otherwise either. She had been allowed to exit the cell and walk to the waterfall nearby, but always in the company of Luithen, who had become something like her personal guard – or jailor. Daenerys was not sure which term applied better to her situation. The small walks and the crude conversation she was able to make with the ellith did her good, for she felt not so isolated anymore. Still, her tiny cell was choking her at times, and she wished to be out in the open again. She needed to breathe some fresh air, and she also needed to see her dragons.
One of those mornings, as the lesson with Istuives was nearing its end, footsteps were heard in the distance. And then before the cell door appeared the Elvenking. Daenerys lifted her eyes from the book to look at him. He was wearing long robes in the color of olive, and a rich cloak that sheened silver with his every move, as it caught and reflected the light. On his head he wore the strangest crown she had ever seen, for it was made of interwoven twigs and leaves and berries. Is that supposed to signify his attunement with nature? Daenerys wondered in her thoughts, for she had noticed how much the elves revered the natural world and all life it encompassed.
"Hir vuin!" Istuives exclaimed and sprang to her feet, bowing her head before him.
"I greet you, my ladies. I trust the lessons are going well", he began.
"Yes, my lord. Daenerys is a diligent pupil", she answered.
"Le suilon, hîr nín", Daenerys whispered, in an attempt to speak Sindarin.
Her accent had been a little off, but Thranduil smiled. "Le suilon, Daenerys. I am impressed." Then he turned to Istuives. "Excellent work, my lady Istuives."
She nodded with a grin. "We still have a long way ahead of us."
"Of course. But you would not mind if I borrowed your pupil for a while, would you?"
"No, my lord. By all means. We are almost done here anyway", she quickly replied. "Novaer, Daenerys. Na lû e-govaned 'wîn."
Daenerys nodded, and then Istuives gathered her books and left.
"Walk with me", Thranduil invited her.
She rose and went to his side, and he led her out of the dungeons. "I thought you might need to breathe some air, after all these days", he said.
"Yes, my lord. But…" she started, looking for the words. He paused in his step, looking at her with patience. "Dragons. I wish to see my dragons."
Her eyes shone with an inner fire as she spoke of her dragons, and that did not go unnoticed by Thranduil. She kept looking at him unafraid, almost defiantly. He found that he liked that about her. "I promise you they are cared for and fed", he told her plainly.
"I must see", she insisted. "Children. My children."
The Elvenking's brow furrowed at that. "How can you call the spawn of Ancalagon your children?" he demanded, now somewhat vexed.
Daenerys did not understand the complete meaning of his words. "I had three eggs. Wedding gift. Then fire, large fire. I went there. My children. Born of fire", she tried to explain things as best she could, with the little elvish she had learned so far.
Thranduil listened to her carefully, and remained silent for a long moment, staring at her, and pondering what to do. As she saw that he did not respond, she averted her eyes and sighed. "I love them. I miss them so much", she murmured.
"Dragons are evil, but you seem innocent enough. How can that be? Where do you come from?" he required.
"Not evil. Great, magic beasts, living fire. I come from Westeros, the Seven Kingdoms. Dragons come from ancient Valyria, home of dragons. My ancestors rode dragons. Great Kings and Queens", Daenerys replied.
"I know not of the places you speak of, and I have walked this Middle-Earth for thousands of years…" he uttered in disbelief, narrowing his eyes.
"Middle-Earth?" she wondered. He nodded. "I know not of this Middle-Earth. Different world?"
Can it be that she is an outlander? Can it be that she came here by some means of sorcery? She seems so ignorant of our world... And what are these Seven Kingdoms she spoke of?
"Daenerys… Are you some kind of witch?" he asked her suspiciously.
She sighed in exasperation. "No witch, no! I am Daenerys Targaryen. Dragon's daughter. Blood of the dragon!"
"Blood of the dragon?"
"Much I do not understand here, and much you do not understand of me, my lord. Please, in time I will explain. Please, take me to my children", she pleaded, and Thranduil could see that she was almost desperate now.
"Very well."
They climbed a few staircases, walked over a few bridges, and at last they came into a chamber. It was small and well-guarded, and inside was a large, iron cage. The three tiny dragons were kept in it, restless and shrieking in fear and anger. As soon as Daenerys saw them, she ran to them with tears of joy and relief in her eyes.
"Oh, my beloved children! I am so glad to see that you are unharmed!" she cried in High Valyrian. The dragonlings rushed to her immediately, reaching for her fingers with her heads. They flapped their wings and cried now in excitement. She noticed that they had grown a bit, though not much for the amount of time that had passed. "Are they treating you well? Are they feeding you properly? Oh, my poor younglings…" They need more food. Dragons grow as long as they are fed.
Thranduil stood motionless and watched this weird exchange. It seemed impossible to him that such a bond could exist between a human and dragons. Still, there she was, this woman named Daenerys, who claimed to hail from a different world, and who called the dragons her children. It was imperative that she be watched closely, and that more information be gathered.
Then, with glistening eyes she turned to him, and on her face he saw all the joy of the world. "Le hannon, hîr vuin!"
He smiled softly, and nodded. He kept watching her and pondering the situation, as she petted and talked to her dragons. "Have they names?" he suddenly wondered.
She shook her head. "I thought of names. This one", she touched the head of the black dragon, "is Drogon. After my dead husband. And the others are Rhaegal and Viserion, after my dead brothers."
"I see…" he muttered. "I am sorry for your losses. You seem so young, and yet to have known so much death…"
"Yes. My family, all dead. I am alone, the last Targaryen", she spoke somberly. A moment of silence ensued, before at last she spoke again. "Can you please open the cage?"
"What? No!" he refused immediately. "The dragons cannot roam freely."
"Zaldrīzes buzdari iksos daor", she responded firmly, for the first time raising her voice in front of him. And when he looked at her with befuddlement written all over his face, she explained, "A dragon is not a slave."
"Perhaps you are right, but I will not take my chances. The dragons will remain caged", Thranduil declared, drawing up to his full posture, indicating that he would suffer no objections.
Daenerys frowned, and turned her back to him. "Be not afraid, my little ones. Eat what you are fed, and you will soon grow. You will grow too big for that silly cage, and then nothing and nobody will be able to keep you enslaved anymore. That I promise you."
Having spoken thus she stood and faced the Elvenking. "I am ready to go now. Thank you for this."
"Come, I had in mind to take you outside the Halls", he offered.
But Daenerys shook her silver head. "No, my lord. I wish to return to my cell."
He looked incredulous. "But why? I thought you needed fresh air."
"I do. But I need to study your language, and explain myself better", she responded firmly, and straightened the wrinkles of her gown as she stood.
The Elvenking took in her frame. She was not really tall, even for a human. Her face and shoulders and hips seemed soft and rounded. She looked but a little more that a child, and yet those violet eyes of hers kept looking at him with intensity and a hidden fire in them. I am the blood of the dragon. In all his endless years, he never encountered such a person before, who kept to such claims. For even the servants of Sauron feared dragons, and nobody dared approach those terrible beasts of old. But Daenerys called the dragonlings her children. Surely it was a situation most unusual… What mysteries were tied to her? What strange world did she come from?
The only way to acquire answers to his questions was to allow her to explain herself.
"Very well, Daenerys. Take the time you need… And we shall meet again."
She watched his eyes as he spoke, brilliant orbs of blue and silver, windows to a mind most complex, still a riddle to her. She was not sure whether his last words had been meant as a promise or as a threat. Still, her face betrayed not her thoughts, and she nodded. After giving one last glance to the dragons, she whispered to them, "Goodbye… I will be back for you." And then she walked over to Thranduil, and he led her back to her cell.
More days went by, slow and uneventful in their course. Daenerys' routine consisted of waking up and having breakfast, which was always brought by Luineth. Sometimes the elleth would have her own breakfast there with her as well. Then the two of them would take a walk to the waterfall and sometimes the inner herbal garden of the healers, which was always teeming with busy elves, tending to the plants with tenderness and care. Daenerys marveled at their skill and gentle moves. Every gesture had a purpose; every touch was meant with love and care; every move was fine and ethereal, gracious and sophisticated. There was nothing base, crude or uncouth about these creatures, who called themselves the Eldar. Their speech mirrored their bearing, slow and refined and astute. Both male and female elves – ellyn and ellith, as they were called in their own language – exhibited those traits; still, the male ones were a bit sharper in their manner, and perhaps sterner, but not without sensitivity. And the female elves were softer and smiled more often, but were no less ferocious, if needs be.
And sometimes they would wander to the kitchens, where Luineth had made some close friends amongst the elf-maids that prepared the meals for the royal household. But the kitchens worked not only for the King and his court, but were open to the people of the realm as well. If anyone found themselves in need of food, or were lacking provisions and means, they could always find warm food there. The atmosphere of the place was homely and welcoming, and the air was always filled with mouth-watering scents. Daenerys was often offered treats: lemon tarts and berry pies, dried figs stuffed with walnuts, honeyed milk and wine brewed with cinnamon and orange peels. She noticed, though, that meat was rarely to be found, as elves only rarely consumed it. That came in stark contrast with the habits of the Dothraki she had come to get used to, whose diet consisted mainly of horse meat and fermented mare's milk. She never really liked that, though, and she was grateful for the elves' light and savory dishes.
At around midday Luineth would take her back to her cell, where she would be served lunch by some maid, and in the afternoon Istuives visited her with her quills and books, and they would continue their Sindarin lessons, sometimes for hours on end. Later in the evening she would read by candlelight, as her tutor always lent her a book to pass her time with, and also practice what she had learned. And when sleepiness would come to her, she would put the book aside, blow the candle and draw the covers up. During the first few weeks she found she had trouble falling asleep; the place seemed cold and scary to her, and she would be plagued by thoughts of her dragons, of her dead Khal and the life she had known, but was now lost to her. Sometimes despair would claim her, and she would silently sob in her pillow, for she felt lost in an unknown world, and was parted from her hatchlings. But as the time passed, those feelings of desolation subsided, and she acclimated to her new surroundings. She made friends with Luineth and Istuives, and learned to trust them. She was also now able to find her way to the waterfall, the herbal garden and the kitchens without getting lost in the maze of pathways, stairs and bridges that were the Elvenking's Halls. For Luineth had begun to allow her to wander on her own of late; where would she go, anyway? It was impossible for her to escape, and the elves had realized that she was unwilling to be apart from her dragons. Once or twice Luineth had taken her to visit them in their cage. They grew, slowly but steadily so, and Daenerys had asked for them to be fed cooked meat, if that was possible. That request had earned her some side-glances and grim looks, and was directly rejected. The elves refused to offer the flesh of any animal, large or small, to those horrid beasts, as they called them. So, they fed on milk, cheese, nuts and bread, but their mother could see they were not meant to eat these things. The dragons would initially turn away from the food and cry in discontent, and would only consume it when hunger became too great, having turned into a matter of survival.
Thus passed her days, and one of these afternoons she was seated on her bed alongside Istuives, nearing the end of yet another lesson. She was feeling rather tired by now, and wished to stand and stretch her limbs.
Istuives perceived her state. "Excellent, Daenerys. I am impressed by your progress", she said, as she put her quill down and closed the ancient book in front of her. "It seems your mind has a keenness for observation and learning."
"You have taught me well, my lady. And learning your language is the only way for me to communicate with you. I had no choice but be observant and learn… Besides, I have little else to do during my endless hours here", Daenerys responded.
Istuives looked around and sighed. "This dreary cell has become your home of late, has it not?" she mused.
"The King does not trust me", she remarked.
"It is because of the dragons. Your affinity to them is a mystery to us. I know not where you come from, but it must be a place very different from ours", the tutor said.
"I cannot say yet. I have seen very little of your world", Daenerys responded, measuring her words.
Istuives nodded, and at that moment the door of the cell opened and Luineth walked in. "Mae g'ovannen, my ladies. I am here at the behest of the King. He requested that I take Daenerys to him, if you are finished with the lesson, that is", she explained, and looked at the prisoner with a soft smile.
"We are finished, mellon nín", said Istuives, standing and gathering her things.
"Good. Daenerys, take this cloak. You will need it, for it is cold outside", Luineth said and handed her a folded cloak.
She took it and draped it about her shoulders. It was deep grey in color, and the hood and sleeves were trimmed with silver thread. It was soft and warm, and had a velvety feeling to it, which Daenerys instantly loved.
"Outside?"
"Yes. Will you follow me now? I would hate to leave the King waiting!"
Soon enough they were out of the dungeons and making towards the grand gates of the Halls. Daenerys gazed at them in wonder, as the bronze-clad guards pushed them open, for she had not seen them since the day she had been brought here. The creaking and rumbling marked their opening, and a gust of cold wind rushed in and caressed them with its chill fingers. Luineth stepped outside, and motioned for Daenerys to follow her, noticing that she was being rather reluctant.
"Come, Daenerys. The King is waiting", she urged her.
Daenerys took a breath and walked forth. The fresh air of the forest greeted her, enveloping her with its coolness and earthly aromas. Her eyes, now very unused to daylight, were met with the waning rays of sundown, and she had to squint and turn her face away from the west. But the deep breath she took revived her senses, and reminded her of the freedom she had been bereft of.
"Daenerys, are you alright?" Luineth worried, and touched her shoulder.
The mother of dragons opened her eyes, and nodded slowly. "I am fine. Take me to the King."
When they found him, Thranduil was standing by the great, arced bridge. Behind him were the walls of his Halls, and beyond him the vastness of his forest.
"Hîr vuin Thranduil, I brought you Daenerys, as you asked", Luineth announced.
He slowly turned and tilted his head to the side. Daenerys was standing beside Luineth, dressed in a dark cloak that accentuated the silver-white of her hair. He noticed that it was well-kempt and done into braids on the top of her head, allowing long locks to cascade loosely down her back.
"Thank you, Luineth. You can leave us now", he dismissed the elleth.
Luineth turned to go, but first nudged Daenerys in the side to bow and then approach the King. She took the notion, and bent her head before him. "My lord, I stand at your disposal", she stated formally.
"Walk with me, Daenerys. It is a pleasant evening, is it not?"
He began a leisurely pace, and she fell into step by his side. "It is, my lord. But why have you called me here?"
"It was long overdue that you took a breath of air, outside the Halls. You have been here for almost three months… I chose this mellow day, as it is not too cold, although it is late autumn", he explained.
He tied his hands behind his back as he sauntered by the riverbank. Daenerys watched him from the corner of her eye, and the thought that this seemingly pleasant meeting was in truth nothing more than a polite interrogation would not leave her thought. The King turned his eyes to the fading light far in the horizon, over the dark treetops. A calm and peaceful expression was on his face, and his alabaster skin glowed with the golden light of the sky. He wore a high-collared tunic in the hues of green and brown, which was clasped close by an intricate brooch at the base of his throat. A heavy cloak trailed behind him, adorned with small gems that shimmered as he walked. Patterns of leaves were embroidered in it with golden thread. Such wealth, Daenerys thought. But of course; he is the King. Perhaps he has a fondness for gold and riches…
"I hear that your lessons are going well", he commented nonchalantly.
"Indeed they are. Istuives has been very patient with me. Your language is not an easy one to learn, and the languages of my world are entirely different in structure and pronunciation", she told him.
"But I already hear the improvement in your phrasing and accent… Which means that we will be able to talk more comfortably now", Thranduil said and glanced at her.
She lifted her eyes to meet his. There; it is an interrogation, after all. "What would you like to know, my lord?" She decided to skip the prologues.
"I would like to know about you… Who you are, where you come from, how you came to be here, and what those dragons are to you", he voiced his questions.
Daenerys nodded. She was prepared for that. "I am Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen."
"Stormborn?" He quirked an eyebrow.
"Yes. My mother gave birth to me on a night of a terrible storm. She died soon afterwards. I am the third child of my parents. My brothers, Rhaegar and Viserys, are dead now. My father was King of the Seven Kingdoms… but madness took him, and he was killed by one of his knights. I am the last Targaryen, rightful heiress to the Iron Throne, and of the blood of ancient Valyria. My ancestors had been dragonriders, as I have told you before, my lord", she explained her heritage.
The Elvenking was listening to her with great interest. "I know not of the world of the Seven Kingdoms you speak of, and neither have I ever heard of the name of your House, but for my thousands of years upon this earth", he muttered thoughtfully.
She turned at him with a look of astonishment. "Thousands of years?"
"Yes… We elves are immortal, insusceptible to illness, but may still die by the sword. But we will not speak of this now. This is your narration. So please, speak on, if you may, for I would like to know more about your world and your past", Thranduil told her.
Daenerys thought for a moment how to make him understand. Then an idea came to her. "Here, my lord, look", she said and, grabbing a broken twig, she started drawing shapes in the ground before her. "This is Westeros, and this is Essos. This is Old Valyria, where my family hails from. And this small island here is Dragonstone, where I was born. To the south is King's Landing with the Red Keep, where the Iron Throne is. To the north is Winterfell, and still farther north is the Wall."
She kept drawing and explaining the basic places of her world to Thranduil. She showed him the Free Cities of Essos, as well as the Dothraki Sea, where she had spent the last time of her life, before she came to be here. Thranduil watched her carefully, interrupting her every now and then with questions and clarifications, until at last he was pleased with her explanations.
"Enough with places. Would you tell me now of your people?" he required.
The wind blew past her and lightly tousled her tresses, as she stood and gazed ahead. It was the twilight of the day, and her eyes felt more comfortable as daylight waned and night approached. The sky was painted a deep purple, and bore crimson scars, as if it were ablaze. "House Targaryen is ancient and powerful. They had lived in Valyria in ages past, and there hatched and bred their dragons. Many of them were dragonriders. The rider and his dragon share a special bond, and the dragon obeys and answers only to his rider. And even that will not come easily, for the dragons are free; they are not slaves to be commanded and used", she said, stressing the final words.
"Are they not evil in your world? For they certainly are here", the King asked.
"No. The distinction between good and evil is not perhaps as clear in my world as it is in yours. But the dragons are not evil by nature. They are intelligent and capable of both good and evil, as all living beings", Daenerys replied.
"Do you mean to tell me, then, that your world is swarming with dragons that fly wherever they wish and do as they please?" he inquired incredulously.
"No… Dragons had disappeared for almost one hundred and fifty years, and they were considered extinct from the world. You see, my lord, the latter Kings had chained them, and used them for sport, pitting them against one another in the arena. Those dragons were small and weak, and soon all of them perished. They cannot survive slavery", she explained with sorrow in her gaze. "And if you keep my dragons caged, they will surely die", she whispered.
"I cannot let them roam unfettered", he objected.
She turned to face him, and her gaze was unflinching. "They will obey me."
"Will they?"
"I am their mother", Daenerys insisted. "They would not harm anyone, if I forbade them to. And they are still so small, just babies…"
"Yes, they are hatchlings now; but in the coming months they will grow larger. And if you keep command of them as you say, who would guarantee that you would not choose to unleash them against us?" Thranduil voiced his concerns under a furrowed brow, and stood opposite her, gazing down at her severely.
"Why would I choose to harm those who have treated me with kindness?" she countered his words with sweetness in her tone. "My lord, what I said was not meant as a threat. You must not mistake my words for such. I have no purpose and no place in this world of yours. I have no friends and no enemies. I was stranded here under conditions that are a mystery to me. One moment I was mourning my dead husband, and the next I woke up in your forest…"
She paused, hey voice being shaky with emotion, and took a deep breath to steady herself. The Elvenking noticed her distress, and saw that there was honesty in her eyes. She was not lying.
"Tell me what happened to you. Tell me your story, for I am much intrigued", he urged her.
Daenerys sighed. "I was treated unkindly by Viserys. He sold me off to marry a warlord of a nomadic tribe. Drogo was his name, the greatest Khal of his people, the Dothraki, who lived and warred across the Dothraki Sea in Essos. It was hard for me, especially at first, but I came to love my husband, for although he was considered a savage by our culture, in truth he was caring and loving in his way. And he was the greatest warrior. He had never lost a battle. But one fateful day he received a wound on the chest, and it festered awfully. I was with his child, then. A woman I had saved from death, a slave, promised to help me save his life when he was burning up with fever and edged on the brink of death. But she was a witch, and out of pure hatred she tricked me, and exchanged the life of my unborn son for Drogo's. Only Drogo never truly lived, but he remained in a state of slumber, of which he never woke."
She turned slightly from Thranduil now, as hot tears formed in her eyes. His look was compassionate, and he patiently waited for her to continue her narration. "I chose to end this, for it was a living nightmare for all. I took his life, suffocating him with a pillow. And on the night of his funeral, I had his people – my people – build a large pyre. Upon it they placed his body, and alongside I put my eggs. Those dragon eggs had been given to me as a wedding gift on the day I married Drogo, the last dragon eggs known to man, and considered only a precious relic, some fancy glittering stones. Call me silly or a dreamer, but I had often felt them stir inside, when I held them to my bosom. And I thought, it was time the witch had paid for her crime. I bound her to the pyre, and her death paid for life. Drogo died, and she died, and my son died… And the eggs came alive in the heat of the flames. And I was there with them, cradling them, from the moment the flames sprang to the sky to the moment they died and all turned to ashes", she concluded her story, and Thranduil could now recognize in her gaze that fire he had seen before, whenever she had spoken of her dragons.
"You walked into the pyre and emerged unscathed, is that what you are telling me?" he asked in amazement.
"I am the blood of the dragon. Fire cannot harm a dragon", she replied with a sad smile.
"You are… a unique creature indeed", the Elvenking admitted. "I have not heard of anyone with such capabilities here in this world."
"Some of the Targaryens would not be harmed by fire, but not all of them. My brother Viserys was no dragon", she murmured, as memories came to her.
"Yet you clearly are. You came out of the flames unburnt, a true dragon…" he remarked. And how could he question the truth of her words? He clearly remembered her image the day he found her: she had been covered in nothing but ashes and soot, with the broken egg-shells about her.
Daenerys nodded. "And do you think me evil, my lord?"
He opened his mouth, but no ready answer would come. Seeing his lingering, she said, "I am not evil, and neither are my dragons. Would you please let them free now that you have heard of my story?"
Her plea caused him to stiffen. "You know I cannot do that. There may be truth in your words, but there is no proof of it. We are on the verge of war; the Dark Lord has regained his powers, and is amassing his hordes in Mordor. Dragons have always been an enemy here. I cannot allow your hatchlings to be turned into a weapon against us. It would mean desolation for all of Middle-Earth", he stated firmly.
She turned away, disappointed and hopeless. Thranduil watched her face, and for the first time it struck him how pale and drawn she looked. Her skin had been creamy white indeed when they found her, but now it was paler still, and sickly so. Clearly her weeks of strict confinement had taken their toll on her, but she complained not; she only pleaded for her dragons.
"You still do not believe me", she whispered, her gaze now lost in the flowing waters of the river beneath her feet.
"It is not a matter of what I believe; it is a matter of what truth is. I cannot risk you being a wicked creature, a servant of the enemy in disguise. Many have been the tricks of Sauron, and he has fooled even the wisest of elves. Only time will prove your sincerity", he told her.
"Then I have nothing to fear", she spoke up to him, "for I am innocent of all trickery and sorcery. All I wish for is to return to my world. But I do not know even if this is possible, as I have no idea how I came to be here in the first place. Maybe it had been one last trick of the witch, as she died… That I may never know. And I understand that I am still your prisoner. If only I had a way to prove myself to you", she sighed.
Thranduil's countenance softened by a fraction. "Do not think me a cruel King. I would not have you suffer needlessly, nor do I wish to mistreat you. Have you any complaints to voice? If so, then name them", he ordered her.
She locked eyes with him, and in the depths of his silver gaze she saw an adamant spirit, but which was also caring and just. "I have been treated well. Istuives and Luineth have been very kind and generous with me, as have been the kitchen maids. I am provided with food and clean clothes, and I have a bed to sleep and a fire to warm me. I would ask for nothing, save for the well-being of my dragons. I would ask to see them more often, and that they be allowed out of their cage every now and then. I vow to you that I am no servant of any dark lord, and that I plan no trickery. I vow this on the memory of my dead husband and my dead son, whom I dearly loved", she declared fervently.
Thranduil felt unable to remove his eyes from hers as she spoke. Her words carried power and sincerity, he could sense it. But still, his reason prevented him from relenting completely to her wishes.
"You will be removed from the dungeons. I will have a proper chamber prepared for you, as befits a Princess. You need not remain in that dank place any longer", he began.
I am no Princess. I am a Khaleesi. I am a Queen. She pursed her lips tight, deciding it would be unwise to speak her thoughts. "Thank you, my lord. For that I am grateful."
"And I, and I alone, will take you to visit your dragons. I consent to more frequent visits, but they will take place under my supervision. Attempt any foul trick and the dragons will be put to death immediately", he warned with a grim look on his face.
"Then I have nothing to fear", she repeated, and her violet eyes lit up. Now there is at least some hope. Thankfully, the King is not unreasonable…
"I truly hope it is as you say, Daenerys", he murmured. "But, as I said, time will be the judge of it." She must be telling the truth. I sense no evil about her. And yet, I cannot allow her what she seeks… Even if there is the slightest chance she is a servant of the Shadow… No, no, she must still be watched closely.
She nodded, and looked into the dark forest. Night had fallen, and the cold was now biting. "Would you mind if we returned to the Halls, my lord? This chill is not to my liking."
He glanced at her, as she pulled the cloak tighter about her. "Yes… The nights have turned colder of late. After all, winter is coming."
Le suilon = I greet you (Sindarin)
Le hannon = Thank you (Sindarin)
Hir vuin! = Beloved lord! (Sindarin)
Novaer, Daenerys. Na lû e-govaned 'wîn = Farewell, Daenerys. Until we next meet (Sindarin)
Zaldrīzes buzdari iksos daor = A dragon is not a slave (Valyrian)
Ellon (pl. ellyn) = male elf
Elleth (pl. ellith) = female elf
Khal = Dothraki warlord (Dothraki)
Khaleesi = A Khal's wife (Dothraki)
Mellon nín = My friend (Sindarin)
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