~ This story was requested by @MrsSparrow31 and is based on an imagine from imaginexhobbit: Imagine being King Thranduil's maid and one day he is so utterly furious about something you did wrong, but then afterwards goes and comforts you to realize after all those years with you around, he's madly in love with you. The story may take an unexpected twist but I tried to follow the imagine! :) ~

Thranduil walked through the halls towards his son's bedroom. He hadn't seen him since breakfast, after the maid had told him they could continue his lessons. Legolas had been really excited to learn more about the old elven tales. Every night he would tell one to Tranduil, like he had never heard them before. He was close now and he could hear your voice, the door was slightly opened. Thranduil tried to keep quiet as he came closer, hoping that he could hear some of the story you were telling. '...and when you go left, you can see her' you said. Legolas sat in front of you, his eyes were widened as he listened to you in awe.

'She has long, silver hair and eyes as blue as the sky. But don't look up to her or you will turn to stone' you said. Legolas' mouth dropped and Thranduil's face, behind the door, darkened. 'How do you dare to tell my son folklore? I asked you to tell him the stories of our race that actually happened!' his voice sounded like thunder in the little room. You turned around in shock. 'My King, I didn't mean to...' you started but Thranduil raised his hand to silence you. 'Go to the kitchen and make yourself useful. You will not teach my son any longer' he said. 'Ada!' Legolas protested, but you had already run off. 'We will find you a better teacher my son.' Legolas shook his head. 'She was the best.'

Thranduil sighed and tried to fake a smile. 'Play, Legolas, there will be a new teacher for you tomorrow morning.' Thranduil left the room and ignored the way his son pouted at him. His headache came back immediately, like it always did after he had talked to you. There was something about you but he couldn't tell what it was. You were always able to capture his attention and to act on your own will instead of following his commands. He went back to his throne, to think. Your smile and laugh were two things he couldn't forget. They were always on his mind no matter how hard he tried to force them out. He didn't know why you had told his son that old story. It was about the Green Witch who was believed to wander through the woods near elven Kingdoms. She would lure the woman out and turn them to stone.

Legolas didn't need to know that. It was a fairy tale, folklore, nothing more. The story was used to keep the children inside and not to wander off on their one. Thranduil knew Legolas was a curious, adventurous boy, he wouldn't be able to keep him inside if he would hear such stories. 'She didn't have the right to tell my son that story' he murmured to himself. But beneath the frustration he felt bad for hurting his son. Legolas really liked the time he could spend with you and honestly, he had learned a lot since you had begun teaching him. Thranduil wouldn't say he was wrong but maybe he had acted irrational. After all, she hadn't brought him into danger and he had still listened to his father. He would have to speak to you. Thranduil would tell you he was still unhappy about it but he would give you the opportunity to apologize.

'Guard!' Thranduil said annoyed. The nearest guard rushed into the hall and bowed. 'Get (y/n) for me from the kitchen. Tell her I want to talk to her about what happened this morning' Thranduil said, sitting down on his throne. The guard looked unsure and didn't leave the hall. 'What are you waiting for?' Thranduil asked, getting impatient with himself. The guard lowered his eyes and didn't look up to his King. 'The maid, (y/n), has left the castle an hour ago. She hasn't returned yet my lord' the guard explained. Thranduil's mouth dropped and he stood up, his fists clenched. 'Where has she gone?' he hissed. 'She has taken her leave on an horse from the stables, my lord. We don't know where she has gone to.' 'Has no one gone after her?!' Thranduil shouts.

The guard flinched. 'We thought she left at your command sire...' he tried to explain but Thranduil didn't listen to him. He was on his way down to the stables. 'Get me some guards and let them come to the stables immediately!' Thranduil shouted at the guard who ran away to find guards to follow the King. What were you up to? He had told you to go the kitchen and instead you had chosen to run away from him. Who could know where you were now? How did you even dare to run away from him... from the castle. You had never been anything but loyal to him but today you managed to be irritating and stubborn. Had you even considered what would happen to you if you got hurt? Thranduil shook his head. He didn't want to think about that right now.

Several images of you laying in a pool of blood circled through his mind and he desperately tried to push them out. The spiders were still in Mirkwood, what if you would run into them? He could already see you getting eaten by one of those things... 'My lord? We are ready' a guard said behind him. Thranduil lead the way through the forest, keeping an eye out for you. 'Where could she have gone?' Thranduil said out loud, actually talking to himself instead of to the guards. 'Maybe she has gone to the river? She talks about it a lot?' one of the guards offered. 'That's it!' Thranduil said and turned his horse around. 'My lord? The river is the other way' a guard said confused. Instead of turning around he was now quickly making his way in the other direction.

He knew where you would be. You were an elf but you were incredibly stubborn. He should have known that you would try to find proof of your story being true, you would go looking for the witch in your story. Thranduil honestly believed the story was incorrect but still... He didn't like the idea of you in the forest, on your own without any protection. Thranduil made his way through the woods, ducking for branches and avoiding the trees. It wasn't hard to find the path you had taken once he managed to see the clues. You had never been good and covering your tracks. Thranduil smiled. It was something he liked about you, though. He came to two bridges. The first one lead to the left and the second one lead to the right. '...and when you go left, you can see her' he heard your voice in his head and crossed the left bridge.

There hang a fog in this part of the forest which made it almost impossible to see anything in front of you. The guards called out for him, somewhere behind him, but he didn't waist his breath to answer them. He had to find you. Something inside of Thranduil told him something had happened to you, but he wouldn't listen to that. Maybe he could find you in time. '(Y/N)' he yelled as loud as he could. On his right he could hear a sound but he was sure it wasn't you. It sounded like a horse. He could only see a dark shadow. It came closer to him and indeed, it was the missing horse from his stable. Thranduil patted it gently to calm it down so he could read his mind. The horse was too scared and would only give him a few bits of information. It was all Thranduil needed.

When he opened his eyes he saw the fog retreating. It slowly disappeared around him and behind him he could see his guards. The horse calmed down as the fog around him cleared and the uneasy feeling in Thranduil's body disappeared. He tilted his head in curiosity. What was this fog? Slowly and carefully he followed it as it hastily tried to escape from him. The guards lined up beside him to protect their King if necessary. Thranduil looked down on the ground and saw that the ground hadn't changed. It was still full of life. His eyes shot to something that seemed out of place. A grey piece of stone which he had never seen before. The guards stopped and their mouths dropped when they saw the statue. Thranduil had only seen the bottom of the statue.

His eyes gradually followed the sculpture upwards and when he reached the head, he saw your face. He narrowed his eyes as he studied your face. There was a crown on your head and your face seemed serious to him. Not like he knew you. 'That is (y/n)' one of the guards said. All other's were silent. Everyone knew how Thranduil truly felt about you, except himself. The King got off his horse and walked towards you. He placed a hand on your stone cold cheek and a single tear rolled down his face. 'You don't know how much joy you have brought me' he whispered. 'You were the light of my life and I have been too blind to see it. Forgive me for neglecting to tell you.' He closed his eyes to force his tears away.

Thranduil turned around and got back up to his horse. 'My lord, what should we do with her?' Thranduil stopped for a moment. 'Place the statue at one of the entrances to this forest. Maybe it will warn other's to not go looking for the Green Witch' he said in an emotionless voice and with a few of his guards, he returned to his castle.