I don’t know… He repeated her words a couple of times inside his head, trying to make sense of all of this, but if she did not understand then how was he supposed to understand?
“That sounds about right… that conversation is the last one we had before you went missing.. I never noticed anything weird at the time, either..” He said then, looking at his wife. Thranduil let go of her hands so he could cup her cheeks, wiping the tears away.
“Do not weep, meleth nîn… None of this is your fault… I did not mean to make you feel guilty, I am aware you would never have left willingly, you need not worry about that. You’re back in my arms and right now that is all that matters… You may not know what happened and we may never find out, but that is not what is important.” The Elvenking shook his head. Sure, he would have liked to know, but he had a feeling that with Sauron having been defeated it would not happen again.
“How about we retire to our chambers and relax for now? Dinner isn’t due for a couple of hours more. I am sure you must be tired from your journey… I can give you a back rub if you would like?” He offered then.
The only response she can muster is a small nod of her head, her hands lifting to wipe the tears from her eyes and any evidence of them from her cheeks, forcing a small smile onto her lips, knowing there would be plenty of prying eyes in the halls.
Things had changed, but as she walked out of the throne room and through familiar yet unfamiliar halls, she trusted that Thranduil would guide her if she took a wrong turn. Her hand came to rest on the large double doors when she finally reached them, letting out a somewhat shaky breath before opening them and stepping in. Unlike her son, husband and kingdom, it seemed there were very few changes to the chambers they shared, it was perhaps a bit messier than it had been, papers strewn across an intricate wooden desk, Thranduil’s writing easy for her to spot on pieces of parchment and incomplete letters.
Daeris moved through the different rooms that made up their chambers, eventually coming to where their clothes hung side by side, hand reaching out to grab the fine silk sleeves of one of her gowns, the fabric of those dresses much finer and more expensive than the one she is currency in which she had already made a mental note to burn the first chance she got and she wanted to get out of it now she had something to change into.
She pulls a darker red gown from its place, a colour made to match the accent of what Thranduil was wearing, the silk sleeves a silver to match the main colour of his. The torn fabric of the dress she’s in is easy enough to shimmy out of, allowing it to drop in a pool at her feet before stepping out of it. Some of her gowns were more complex to get in and out of, luckily this one was fairly simple. Strings of the corset back already undone Daeris easily slips it on over her head. Out of habit she goes to tighten the back on her own but pauses for a moment, stepping out of what was practically another room that served as their closet to meet Thranduil’s gaze, turning so her back is to him, pulling her hair out of the way.
❛ Do you still remember how to do up my dresses, or only how to take them off? ❜ There is no seriousness to the question, though she is curious to see if the other still remembers how tight the back needs to be in order for the dress to fit correctly.
