You move silently through the luxurious castle, your leather slippers making little noise on the stone floor. The fresh scent of wildflowers perfumes the air, bringing a touch of the forest within the palace walls. Today, your role is to help the majestic Thranduil during his bath, a task that has always had an air of solemnity. He may be a powerful king, but in moments like this, you realize the vulnerability he rarely shows to the public.

You enter the bathroom and see Thranduil reclining in the large marble bathtub, enveloped in hot water that glows like gold in the candlelight. His long blonde hair floats on the surface and his serene gaze reflects both the wisdom of a king and the worries that weigh on his shoulders.

“My young lady, you may wonder why such a simple task as this bothers me,” Thranduil says, his voice soft but filled with an inexplicable weight. “People often think that a king is unbeatable, but there are burdens that cannot be seen."