*hands out royal cookies and regal tea*
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Welcome to the Halls of Thranduil!

Kingsfoil by Raider-k

This one is for you, my Tolkien peeps and fellow admirers of Thranduil the Fabulous. Here I present you the wonderful tale of Kingsfoil, starring the ever so gorgeous Elvenking and his lovely lady Narylfiel. This story has been ongoing for quite a while and has acquired quite a lot of fans and a considerable amount of followers on Wattpad, which is of course well deserved. It's one of my all time favourite Thranduil stories!

⭐️ What's so good about it?

The author serves us a wonderful cocktail mixing all elements of an exciting read: adventure, romance, humour, intrigue, relatable characters and a villain everyone loves to hate. Raider brings to life Tolkien's world with admirable ease, taking us along on a journey through Middle-earth, which we all hope would never really end.

I will not go into detail here about the plot, just in case you want to discover the twists and turns on your own, so I won't spoil the fun.

One thing I love is how the author divides each chapter into two segments, the first one taking us to a moment in the past, which she cleverly manages to mirror or integrate into the second part of the chapter that takes place in the actual present timeline of the story. So we get to see glimpses of the characters as their younger selves, allowing us a deeper understanding of their feelings and actions.

❤️ The spark of love!

For the readers of Raider's Legolas story Wanderlust, the main female character Narylfiel is a familiar one, as she's the little sister of Thaliniel, who happens to be the beloved of Legolas. Yes, I sense some interesting family revelations coming up, when this story will finally draw to a close. Narylfiel is a member of the guard and has been close to Thranduil since she was a little girl. Their closeness shows not only in many endearing scenes and delightful flashbacks, but also through the fact that Thranduil frequently calls her "naurenniel", meaning "little spark" in Sindarin, which makes me internally giggle with joy every time it comes up in the story.

I am absolutely in love with the way Raider writes Thranduil, his sass and fabulousness are so perfectly captured. The way he slowly begins to shed his cold demeanour and opens up to Narylfiel is truly heartwarming to witness. He's a powerful and impressive Elvenking and when he loves, he does it fiercely.

⭐️ Nobody leaves out a dwarf!

A special mention must be made of the exceptional way the author gives the dwarves some extra space in her story. It is highly entertaining to see Thranduil continuously annoyed by the stout and bearded fellows, who seem to have grown fond of Narylfiel, much to the dismay of the ever so haughty Elvenking.

⭐️ The little gems!

It was virtually impossible for me to find favourite scenes in this story as there are so many *throws her hands up into the air in exasperation*, but alas I had to take a decision. So here are three short moments for you.

The first excerpt is taken from the chapter Impulsive in which we learn that the dwarves apparently do not know the meaning of the elvish word fea (it means "soul" in Sindarin). Their reaction to the revelation that Thranduil and Narylfiel had shared a bed for purely medicinal purposes is quite hilarious.

Narylfiel, however, was livid. "Take advantage!" she scoffed. "Of course I slept in his bed, but only so he could perform a healing trance with my feä."

The dwarves were collectively horrified. "You've got no business touching her feä!" Dwalin shouted at Thranduil, jumping from his chair to point a meaty fist at the elf.

The next scene is taken from the chapter Untamed where Thranduil and Narylfiel make love and it shows in such a beautiful way how Raider manages to paint a sensual image with just a few lines.

There were times in their lovemaking, when Thranduil took his time with her, loving her slowly, covering every inch of her with his lips until she thought she might melt into the bedcovers; however, on a few rare occasions, she glimpsed a side of him which lost his careful sense of control. Perhaps on this night, he was just so very tired, or perhaps the looming war set him on edge, she could not be sure, but Thranduil definitely lost control.

And Narylfiel liked it.

And lastly I had to include this adorable scene with Mithren, the elk calf, from the chapter Victorious. I mean, who could resist the charm of a little furry friend? Especially when he's trying to usurp Thranduil's space in the royal bed with a such perseverance and pleading eyes?

"Oh, no you don't," Thranduil told him. He lifted a sleepy arm toward the blanket on the floor and pointed. "Go lay down."

The elk calf ignored his command and rested his head against the bed, scooting closer until his soft whiskers tickled Thranduil's cheek.

Thranduil turned his head against the pillow enough to meet Mithren's eyes. "Go lay down, elk. Your king commands it."

But Mithren merely angled his head at his king and chuffed softly.

⭐️ The icing on the cake!

Raider has given the readers of Kingsfoil an extra treat with her companion book Kingsfoil: the Secret Scenes!, which contains short extra scenes, allowing us a deeper insight into some moments, or show events from a different point of view. There's even a considerably steamy scene between Thranduil and Narylfiel, in which a nice dwarven tapestry is defiled *le gasp*

Dwalin is not amused!

Sorry your majesty, I'm almost done, so you can go back to your kinging or whatever it is you do in your spare time.
Perhaps your wife?

Yeah, I knew you'd like that *wiggles eyebrows suggestively*.

⭐️ Your favourite bits and pieces?

Since I know that many of my followers have also read this story or are actively reading it, how about if you share your own opinion?

Any best chapters?

Most scary moments?

Most loved or most hated characters?

How do you think Legolas will react to the news that his wife's little sister married his own father?

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My dear readers, please make sure to rinse the teacups and don't leave behind any crumbs. Thranduil doesn't approve of them, as you can read in the chapter Gifted. Now off you go to hunt for those crumbs and let me know when you've found them! But don't bring them over here! I've got no use for them.

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Author's Notes: I hope you have enjoyed this review of a story that has a special place in my elven loving heart! Please vote and comment, so I know you've liked this :)!

Stay tuned for the next review^^!
💫 Flora 💫

Fabulous gifs mostly found on giphy.