Chapter 1: The death of the Queen
Author's Note: I wrote this for fun, I hope you enjoy... No, in this author's note I am not going to put a disclaimer that I do not own Tolkien's characters, because:
A) Tolkien is dead, so I am obviously not him.
B) If I owned his characters I would be publishing my stories in a book form, not on the silly internet.
Here are some quick notes related to the way I will be writing this story:
Anything in italics is being spoken in ELVISH.
Anything in bold (example: 'I like hobbits') is a THOUGHT.
If it says 'FLASH BACK' that means it is something that happened IN THE PAST.
In my ending author's notes it includes (in bold) RESPONSES TO REVIEWS.
In my ending author's notes it includes short italic NOTES RELATED TO THE CHAPTER.
Please enjoy and have fun reviewing, here is a little help on the characters as well:
Tonus: Son of king Thranduil, eldest brother of Legolas, Cield and Illiendal, crowned prince of Mirkwood.
Yáviel: Wife of Tonus, mother of Florien.
Florien: Son of Tonus and Yáviel, grandchild of Thranduil, nephew of Legolas, Illiendal and Cield.
Queen Aldaril was the wife of King Thranduil of Mirkwood, or at least, she was one week ago. Queen Aldaril wished to take her whole family on a short walk into the forest. But just some hours before the walk they would be going on, her second born son Cield had gotten himself into trouble with his tutor by stealing some papers belonging to his tutor. Because of this, Cield had to stay home from the walk. Thranduil had planned to go on the walk with his wife and children, but pitying his son, Thranduil stayed home with Cield.
That left Tonus, the eldest son, Illiendal, the king and queen's only daughter and little baby Legolas to go on the walk with their mother, but Illiendal chose not too as lord Elrond had been bringing Elladan and Elrohir down to Mirkwood for a visit and she wished to stay at the palace to wait for their arrival. Queen Aldaril ended up going into the forest only with her eldest son and the small baby Legolas, but things did not turn out as planned.
During the rather short walk, some orcs that seemed to have snuck past the guards on duty, attacked. Queen Aldaril had thought that her beloved husband was coming on the walk with them, so she did not bring any weapons, nor did Tonus. They saw the orcs and could have fled and returned to the palace safely if Legolas had not burst into tears (being such a young child) and had gotten the three spotted by orcs.
Queen Aldaril ran for her life, holding her small sobbing baby tightly in one arm and pulling her eldest son with her other. But Legolas slid from the arm that he was held by and fell. Aldaril, in attempt to get her baby from where he fell, was caught by the orcs, and Tonus managed to grab his brother in time and run, never looking behind to see his mother's death.
That was a week ago.
The orcs the three had came in counter with where slew by Thranduil and the army of Mirkwood, and the queen's body found, cleaned and ready for her funeral, which was this day.
"Where's nana?" Legolas asked, for which seamed like the thousandth time since her death. Legolas knew what happened, the scene played in his head often, but Legolas did not realize what was going on. He was still just a baby, but he was old enough to talk and walk, just not very well.
Thranduil held Legolas tightly at the mention of his wife, but stayed silent.
"Ada, answer me." Legolas said, looking at his father with his sad blue eyes. Elrond, who had arrived the day of Aldaril's death with the twins, approached the two.
"Legolas, why don't you go play with my sons? They will enjoy your company." Elrond suggested.
"But... Ada didn't answer question yet!" Legolas pouted, though he really did not mean to.
"Legolas, do as Lord Elrond tells you to do. Go play with the twins as you where told." Thranduil ordered, and Legolas sadly got off his father's lap to find the twins.
"They are in your brother's room." Elrond said softly.
"Which one?" Legolas asked, turning around.
"Which one do you think Legolas? Cield's door has been locked for the past week, I doubt very much he has opened it just so two young elves can come in to disturb his sobbing." Thranduil said harshly, and Legolas quickly left to go to Tonus' room.
"Thranduil, I did not order him to go play with the twins, I just suggested it. You should not have forced him. Go easy on the boy, he has just lost his mother." Elrond said, pitying the sad king.
"And I have just lost my wife Elrond. There is not much difference between Legolas' loss and my own." Thranduil looked away from the lord of Rivendell.
"Thranduil, you are a grown man. Legolas is a baby who will now have to grow with no mother. You both lost the same person, but you a wife and he a parent. Thranduil, you know how it is to lose a parent, and now your children do too." Elrond whispered, Thranduil covering his face with his hands to hide his tears.
"I miss her. I miss my wife." Thranduil tried his best to say without breaking into sobs.
Legolas was sadly sitting between Elladan and Elrohir. The twins usually could make them all laugh, but they found it especially hard on this occasion.
"How long do you think he'll be staying in there?" Elladan asked curiously.
"Cield will lock himself in there until someone gets him out of there." Tonus muttered quietly. Elladan stood up.
"I could get him out!" Elladan said proudly, but none of the elves around him believed in him.
"It's no use, he hates you. He thinks you are an immature bratty elfling." Illiendal sighed lying down on her brother's bed.
"I know you all have just suffered a great loss, but really, moping about it will not make it go away." Elladan said quietly.
"Elladan, please. Please, just... Stay quiet." Tonus shook his head sadly.
"I am sorry, I did not mean to upset you more." Elladan whispered.
It was silent for a small while until Legolas began to sniffle.
"What's the matter little one?" Elrohir asked, pulling the child onto his lap gently.
"I remember," Legolas tried to force back tears as he spoke. "Nana dropped me... I fell and nana went back to pick me up... The... orcs took her and... Someone took me... I woke up and... I was at home and ada was... crying." Legolas said sadly, then looked up as someone opened the door to Tonus' bedroom.
"I am sorry, I should have knocked..." Thranduil said softly, then swiftly came over to Elrohir and scooped Legolas out of Elrohir's arms.
"My poor baby." Thranduil whispered sadly.
Thranduil sat beside one of the twins (he was too sad to tell which) and looked over at Tonus.
"Why don't you go get some fresh air, my son? You have not left the house since... In a week." Thranduil said to Tonus, who nodded and smiled weakly.
"Alright, I will take a walk to..." Tonus began, and shut his eyes sadly.
"Why don't you ride to town, on a horse? Armed, as well." Thranduil said, and Tonus nodded, fetched his armour and walked down the hall, stopping at his brother's door. It was locked.
Tonus pulled the clip that help his hair back out of his hair and slipped the fine metal tip into the key hole of Cield's door and turned, the door opening. Cield's lock had been placed on the door only to please Cield, and it had always been able to unlock with a key or a hair clip such as Tonus'.
Cield almost let out a scream when he saw his brother enter his room.
"Leave! Now!" Cield snapped.
"I just wanted to check on you, I am sorry to disturb you. I am going to town by horse, would you like to come? It could be fun, and it could help you forget..." Tonus offered, but Cield gave him a sour face.
"No." Cield grunted, and Tonus nodded and left, understanding that his brother was not one to easily get over death.
Tonus slowly walked to the stables and hopped on his own horse, and rode through town to a small house. Tonus walked up the pathway and opened the door. After taking a few steps into the house a fair she-elf ran quickly up to him and embraced him tightly.
"Tonus! I was so worried! You have not been here for a week!" The she-elf kissed the prince's lips and squeezed him tightly.
"My mother was murdered by orcs." Tonus whispered, and the she-elf put a comforting hand on Tonus' shoulder.
"Tonus, I am so... So sorry." The she-elf whispered, caressing the prince's soft cheek.
"Don't be sorry for me... Where is little Florien? I miss him so much." Tonus whispered.
"Florien has been fearing that you do not come because you no longer love him. He is eating his lunch at the moment." The she-elf whispered.
"I will go see him then. I hope he is glad to see me, just as happy as I am to see him, Yáviel my love." Tonus whispered to the she-elf, Yáviel being her name.
Yáviel took the prince by his wrist and leaded his to the kitchen, where a small child (older then Legolas but younger then Illiendal) sat; eating burnt toast (that had jam spread on it) quietly.
"Florien..." Yáviel said softly. The boy looked up, and gasped when he saw the prince standing beside his mother.
"ADA!" Florien screamed, jumping up and running to Tonus. Tonus grabbed him and lifted him into the air.
"I missed you daddy..." Florien whispered in elvish to his father, and Tonus smiled.
"I missed you so much, my little boy. Now finish your toast, I will talk with your mother and I will not leave for a while, alright?" Tonus smiled as the elfling nodded and jumped out of Tonus' arms to go finish eating his toast.
Tonus and Yáviel left the kitchen and went to the family room, where Yáviel cuddled with Tonus on the small settee.
"How did your mother die?" Yáviel asked softly and carefully to her husband, who shook his head sadly.
"I will tell you another time, when Florien is not around to hear." Tonus whispered.
"Tonus, he only speaks elvish. If you tell me in any other language he will not know what is being said."
"No... It is just... It has not been long enough, since her death, I am not ready." Tonus whispered.
"I understand..." Yáviel said to the prince quietly.
"Has Florien been behaving?"
"Of course he has. He's missed you though, he's missed you a lot." Yáviel whispered. The two sat close to each other in silence, until Yáviel had a question to ask.
"Tonus, your mother is no longer... Here. You have never even told her or your own father that you are married and have a child, and you have forbidden me from letting anyone know... Why is this Tonus?" Yáviel asked curiously.
It was true, Tonus had not told Thranduil or Aldaril, or any elf for that matter of marriage to Yáviel or his son Florien, and now it was too late to tell his mother.
To be Continued...
I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter... This is my Halloween trick or treat to you all (it's a nice treat if you like it, but if you do not like this at all, this is your halloween trick, so go feed your goldfish and pretend this never happened).
