Treacherous Paths 3: Love and Hate
A/N: 'Gasp' can it be, no way. That's right, guys, the first chapter in this story. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous story and the chapters in between.
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: Like before, I do not own the characters that we all know and love or hate.
Summary: Sequel to Treacherous Paths and Treacherous Paths 2: Choices, I would recommend reading those first. How strong can Thranduil stand in the midst of life's challenges?
Chapter 1
Four seasons passed since the birth of Aranhir, the heir apparent. To elves the passing of a year was like a day's cycle of Anor. Winter had just passed and blossoms were beginning to bloom and grow. Elves loved the season of spring, when everything looked like they were coming alive again after remaining dormant in the winter's chill. Waking to the sound of singing birds was always welcomed by all, even the king appreciated them.
The sun was just beginning to rise to greet the day. The soft glow entered through the roof of the palace, lighting up everything in sight.
Birds were not the only ones that greeted the day with a song; elves were famous for their gift of song and they would sing anytime and everytime, no matter the situation.
The peace and serenity of every morning were always reliable in making themselves known...until it was shattered by the wailing of the newest elf in Greenwood.
Aranhir's cries could be heard by everyone in the palace and even by the ones that were just outside. Oropher sprung out of bed and made his way to his baby, who was sleeping in a hand-carved cot just beside his parents' bed. The king picked the child up and rocked him while whispering softly in elvish.
Theliel had also awakened, but she did not get up. She had been told by her husband that she was not to tend to the child unless he was to be fed. The rest Oropher took care of, making sure that Aranhir was to be raised by him. This had certainly been tough on his wife, she so badly wanted to hold the child in her arms and mother him. At least she still had Thranduil, and she was grateful for that, for he was a wonderful son, yet that did not stop her from wanting another child to hold in her lap and sing to sleep.
Tears of longing filled her eyes but they did not fall. It was not like she just accepted Oropher's proposition, but he was still head of the family and kingdom and she just had to accept the decisions that he made, no matter how much it hurt.
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Oropher and Theliel were not the only ones to be awakened by the infant's crying. It had been going on like this since his brother was born. Thranduil did not mind and knew that he could not blame the child, but it made him wonder if he was that bad when he was just a little over a year old.
He sighed inwardly while staring through the roof. He had become a touch jealous of his baby brother, not only did he take his right to be king but also captured his father's attention just by crying or laughing. Life, indeed, was not fair, but he promised himself that he would love his brother and treat him thusly, he would not allow Oropher to see how upset he really was; that would be like admitting defeat. 'No, I love Aranhir and should he become king, after all, then so be it, I will honour and respect him as such.' As for his father, there was nothing more that he could do, Oropher would always be Oropher, no matter what.
He looked out the window to find the sun higher than what he would have liked, 'That is just marvellous, I slept in late, I never sleep in late!'
Thranduil all but hopped out of bed and start his morning rituals. Today, he was going to lead a patrol and arriving late was not going to make a very good impression. He quickly pulled his hunting clothes on, brushed his hair; it was now long enough to tie back, the pony would tickle the base of his neck, but he did not mind, far from it, he was glad that his hair was growing, but he still allowed wisps of hair to hang in his face. It annoyed his mother to no end as she kept attempting to push the bangs away from his face and eyes.
With a smile on his face, he strapped his bow and quiver to his back. He was almost sorry that he gave his knives to his father, but the feeling would pass when he remembered why he did it.
He reached up to his sword that was hanging on the wall and tied it around his waist. Jogging down the hallway and into the dining-room, he gave his mother a chaste kiss on the cheek before grabbing an apple and jogging the rest of the way into the courtyard. He sighed with relief when he found that not everybody had arrived yet and the rest were still tying supplies to their horses.
Thranduil went to collect his own horse, Barasath. The magnificent beast strutted around as though he owned the place. Thanduil shook his head and chuckled, "You, mellon nin, are a real piece of work, you know that."
The horse snorted while prancing about, only too happy to be out of the stifling stable.
Having all that he needed on his person, Thranduil had no need for a saddle and elves did not use tacks or reins to steer their horses. He vaulted onto the back of the horses, causing even the other elves to watch in astonishment, even though they have seen him do it countless times.
The others were still tying things to their horses and checking that everything was tied tightly. Thranduil glanced around behind him and saw his father coming down the steps and carrying Aranhir. The older prince ignored them and continued to look around, for no real apparent reason. As he did so, he saw an elf that he did not expect to see and groaned inwardly.
Vanmoriel had her hair tied back in a fairly loose bun, allowing strands of hair to hang down her neck and around her beautiful face. She was dressed in a scarlet gown that seemed flow all around her.
'What is she doin?,' Thought Thranduil as she spoke to each of the now mounted elves. She never did that before and she had no reason to. Finally, she came to stand beside his horse, "Beware, my lady, for this horse has a temper that could match a balrog with a headache." Thranduil said, hoping that he would do something that would frighten her away without physically harming her, but Barasath only snorted, 'Oh, now you behave, why does that not surprise me?" The horse whickered as though he was enjoying his mastered discomfort, causing Thranduil to glare at his not-so-faithful steed.
Vanmoriel laughed nonchalantly, showing no sign of fear for the horse.
Barasath was starting to feel uncomfortable in the woman's presence as his ears were twitching and started prancing ever so slightly, "My lady, it is advisable that you keep your distance from the horse."
The dark-haired beauty did not pay any heed to his words, "Nonsense, I have merely come to say farewell to all that are leaving and particularly to you." She placed a hand on his knee, which caused him to jump and glare down at her. She continued to stand on her toes to peck him on his cheek, wallowing in his scent, "Did I ever tell you how good you smelt?" She leered
Thranduil jerked away and encouraged his horse to step away from the elleth, hoping she would take the hint. He sighed, relieved that everyone was accounted for and Oropher was making a departing speech. His mother came up to him and put her hand on his knees in a similar fashion that Vanmoriel did, only it was a touch that only a mother could have. She too leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, "Do not let that elleth get to you."
He smiled tenderly down at her and responded, "I will try, but if she continues in this fashion I will not be held responsible for my actions."
"You may only do something to her if you do not expect me to hold you back," She spoke with a twinkle in her eye and an ever-subtle wink. Turning more serious, she said, "Thranduil, be safe. I do not know how but you have a knack for attracting trouble."
The prince laughed and touched her cheek with his fingers, "Have no fear, mother dearest, I will steer as far from danger as possible, unless there is need to take action." He heard the horses' snorts and whickers of impatience, "Farewell, I must go before the horses commit mutiny and encourage their masters to do the same." He whispered loud enough so that everyone could hear, which caused the others to laugh heartily. With a final look at his family, he rode to the front and led the elves through the forest.
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It had not always been necessary to send out patrols and scouts, yet there was no harm in practicing caution. Rumours were that orcs and goblins from the Misty Mountains were growing bolder and even dared to pass the borders of Greenwood. But the question that Thranduil pondered was what dared the orcs and motivated them to walk deliberately into possible danger? He knew that they were not the sharpest arrow in a quiver and unless they had a leader they were a clueless bunch and would not venture so far from their holes.
The more Thranduil thought about it the more he was convinced that they were driven by a guiding hand. He looked around to see that the other elves looked just as grim as he felt. Perhaps they were thinking along the same line of thought as he was.
Sadron rode to the front to speak with Thranduil, "My prince, we are nearing Ruid en' Uial."
Thranduil nodded, "Yes, I know," he said not unkindly, but he did get a touch annoyed when the obvious was pointed out. It was not like he was blind or oblivious of where they were headed.
Ruid en' Uial was the largest, most beautiful glade in Greenwood. It was named Glade of Twilight because of the pool of water. Tiny sparks of silver lights were always seen in the depths, like little pinpricks of stars. No one really knew what they were or where they came from. Near the pool stood a rock that shone with the same looking lights in it. In the day, when the sun shone down, the little lights glowed brighter, almost causing the entire glade to glow and at night, the light of the moon gave them a soft, silver glow that reflected just around the area. The grass sparkled as though made of emerald, along with the leaves, right up to the very tops of the trees. The perfumes of the flowers were intoxicating and could be smelt a mile away.
Thranduil dismounted from his horse and the rest followed his example. He led them to the glade and already found himself relaxing and even smiling. He had been tense since Vanmoriel had spoken to him earlier that day. The prince stroked Barasath's neck while the horse was drinking from the refreshing pool.
Thranduil decided that he, too, was going to take a drink to quench his thirst. After he satisfied his thirst, he took a cupful of water and splashed it over his face and neck, strands of hair got in the way of the bombardment of water. So he decided to loosen his hair and dunk his whole head in the water, causing everyone to laugh when he came up with his hair plastered to his face and the points of his ears sticking out through the golden strands.
After blinking a few times, he grinned and splashed the unfortunate Sadron, who happened to be standing the nearest to him and clutching his stomach while trying to wipe away his tears of mirth. But his laughter stopped the moment he felt the water. He looked up to see Thranduil grinning cheekily at him.
Staring at Thranduil with a mock-glare, Sadron tackled him and managed to get him onto his back. But Thranduil was quick, he pushed his knees and feet up onto his abdomen and flipped him causing him to land hard on his own back. In no time a tussle had ensued and the two elves were rolling around all over the place, grinning and laughing the entire time.
Thranduil had gone through intense training in combat and in every form of battle, giving him the upper-hand. The younger elf had his opponent on his back and pinning him down, "Do you admit defeat?"
Sadron glared up at Thranduil for a few seconds before grinning, "Aye, seems your training is paying off."
In good sportsmanship, the younger offered his hand to the older elf and helped him to his feet. He continued to dust himself off. Only now had he noticed that all the other elves were staring at them, so he asked, "Anyone else care to challenge me," there was no hint of arrogance in his tone or stance, just playfulness, like an elfling who was ready for another round of play.
The rest shook their heads and went back to what they were doing. Thranduil looked up to see the position of the sun, when he found it to be noon, he addressed the gathered elves, "Gather the things that youneed only, the rest gets left behind. We should start moving out."
The elves scattered to follow the order. Thranduil was glad that everyone thought to sharpen and prepare their weapons the day before, for that gave them more time to look about and find something that was worth reporting to the king.
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Veryan talked animatedly with Thranduil while trekking through the dense forest, "When my mother found out that it was me who put the frogs in my parents' bed, she grounded me for the next century."
Thranduil laughed at that, imagining the look on Veryan's mother's face when she discovered the frogs and how his father would have laughed at his son's prank, "How did you get out of your punishment?" Thranduil asked.
"Let us just say that I owe my adar, he was the one that convinced her that it was a harmless prank and no one got hurt. The punishment was shortened to two weeks – this is my first week of freedom."
Veryan was one of Thranduil's closest friend. They did everything together, including scheming and planning their pranks. In fact, Thranduil helped his friend gather the frogs.
"Ha, do you remember the time we put those worms in Master Tangadion's boots," inquired Veryan as he patted Thranduil lightly on the arm with the back of his hand.
Thranduil laughed even louder at the memory, "How could I forget? He was so mad, his whole face turned blood-red. I actually thought he was going to put an arrow through both of us."
"My whole body is still stiff from the fourty-five laps that we had to do, not to mention the size of that training-field."
Thranduil's eyes sparkled, "I would do it again to see that look on his face."
Master Tangadion was their trainer in weaponry. He was very strict, pushing his students to the limits. He believed that each one should reach their full potential, no matter what it took. He was the best and surpassed even Thranduil's skills. He had fought in many a war and carried a faint scar on his left cheek, making him look sinister and not someone you would want to cross. But Thranduil and Veryan, being the elves that they were, dared each other to pull that prank on him, causing the other students to fear for their lives and laugh at the same time. They became popular after that and were known as the kings of pranks, making the whole incident worthwhile.
Thranduil took to one of the trees to see if he could find anything that was out of the ordinary. He poked his head through the top branches and began his search. He gasped when he found a wisp of smoke coming from the North-East. He yelled down to his fellows, "I see smoke! We better go and investigate!" He leaped from the tree and landed gracefully.
Steadily, the small group of elves made their way to the forest, pushing aside any branch that blocked their path. It had grown considerably dark but Thranduil did not want to stop until they found out what the cause of the smoke was.
The closer he got the stronger the smell became. He used signs to let the others know that they were to stay behind and remain silent while he went to investigate. He carefully pulled some leaves apart and peered between them.
Stifling another gasp, he found a handful of orcs chopping down branches and throwing them into the fire. He cringed when he heard the trees' painful cry – it ripped at his heart. Growling silently, he gestured for Sadron to have a look at what he saw.
The older elf's eyes widened, he turned to Thranduil who looked back at him. They both turned to the rest of the elves who watched with curiosity. He indicated to the tree-tops –the message as clear as if he had spoken it.
Each one took to the trees and pulled their bows and arrows out and waited for Thranduil's signal. When he gave it, they took careful aim and released their arrows in split seconds. This sent the orcs into such disarray that they could not retaliate and those who tried were shot down before they could so much as pull out an arrow from their quivers.
When he was sure that each one met their demise, Thranduil climbed down a tree and walked into the clearing. He angrily ripped an arrow from one of the orcs and looked down at it with disgust, "Yrch!! What did they think they were doing in our lands?!" He glared at each one of the orcs as though he was expecting an answer from one of them l. He inspected the orc that he was standing over and examined his garb, "This one carries the symbol of Morgoth even though he is long dead." Is it even possible to serve someone who is dead, even if he was a Maia?'
"What should we do with the bodies," Asked Arphenion, a loyal warrior serving under the king.
"There are too many surrounding trees to burn them here and we cannot leave them for carrion, that will defile this area," Thranduil looked to Alagos, "Can you go ahead and see how far we are from the fields?"
The young elf, Alagos saluted and ran through the forest. It was not long before he returned, "They lie just beyond those trees."
Thranduil looked satisfied and heaved the nearest orc onto his shoulder, "Come, my fellow elves, we have orcs to burn," the smile on his face was a little unsettling but each took up a disgusting corpse and followed their prince.
They walked until they were a safe distance from the trees. Thranduil had not realized how late it was till he saw that ithil was past midway and heading towards the other side of the horizon. He dropped his burden without a care, "Drop them here so that they form a pile."
Just as he was about to set them alight, Thranduil remembered something. He pulled the orcs from the pile.
"Thranduil, what are you doing," Veryan asked, clearly he was perplexed as were the rest of them.
Thranduil grinned up at them before chopping off the head of the largest orc and placed the orcs back into a pile, "You shall learn soon enough," the others looked even more confused when he went towards the trees and picked up a sizeable stick. He found a seat on a nearby rock and started carving the stick to make it look like a makeshift spear.
No one said a word and all that was heard was the crickets and the whittling coming from Thranduil. Not long afterwards, Thranduil set the pile of orcs on fire and dug his spear into the ground and placed the head on the dull side of the spear, "Look, t'is a head on a stick," he grinned at his party of elves, revealing all his pearly-white teeth that gleamed under the moonlight.
He nearly gagged when the stench came with full force. He saw that the others were in the same predicament as he was, "Let us get out of here before we all pass out," He held his tunic to his nose and led the others into the forest and away from the aweful stench.
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Oropher was sitting in his counsel-room, holding council with his officials, but he may as well have not attended, for all his attention was on his youngest. If he so much as made a sound, Oropher would become distracted by him and wave one of his expensive toys near his face.
Finally, Dûrion had enough, "My king, if you wish to postpone this meeting, it can easily be arranged."
Oropher was still distracted by Aranhir, "Hmm," then he looked up, still bent over the baby, who was playing on the floor, "Oh...no, that will not be necessary. You can proceed."
Arandur, the royal treasurer spoke up, "As I was saying, my lord, I feel that we should raise the taxes – bring in more money."
"Bring in more money," the king muttered to himself, "Yes, I could do with a little extra. How high do you think we should make it?"
"Your majesty, that is entirely up to you."
"10." Oropher said with finality.
Theliel leaned towards her husband and placed a hand on the arm of his chair, "Is that not a bit much," she whispered.
"Not at all, we need to raise the finances."
"What for? There are elves that would never be able to afford that much."
"Then they are no longer welcome to live here."
"That is unfair and you know it. What would you need all that extra money for? You have more than enough to live comfortably and to provide for the citizens of this realm."
Everyone present was watching the interaction between the king and queen, they had hoped that something like this did not happen; they wanted the meeting to be over as soon as possible.
"Where is the harm in bringing more gold?" Oropher inquired while looking straight ahead.
"There is harm in it. Harm for those who would never be able to afford the extra amount. As it is, they are scraping by, albeit barely."
Oropher sensed another argument coming on so he dismissed everyone and told them that he would sign the declaration as soon as he was done having a word with his wife.
They left in silence.
"Oropher, think about what you are doing," spoke Theliel once they were alone, "You are not being fair."
The baby started crying, asking for the attention that was not being given to him. Oropher swiftly picked him up and rocked him.
Theliel continued, "What if it was you in their shoes? How would you feel?"
Oropher cooed at the baby and responded, "Then it is a good thing that I am not, is it not?"
Theliel's beautiful face twisted into anger, "Have you become so heartless that you care not a wit for anyone else other than yourself and your son?!"
"Do not speak to me thusly!!"
"But it is the truth and you know it! I do not know what has gotten into you, but you are certainly not the elf that I married!"
"The elf that you married was weak and too emotional. He would never have thought to build up a realm as I have! He was a no body, but no longer, for you see, I am powerful, I rule with an iron fist and am respected for it!!"
"Respected, but not loved by them! I love you, Oropher and so does Thranduil, but if you are going to be like this from now on then you can forget about having my support!"
With that, she spun on the balls of her feet and left. Oropher watched, but he was not in the least bit fazed.
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The troop sighed as each one slumped to the ground. Thranduil was the only one that remained standing. He focused his senses in case there were more orcs. Dawn may have been approaching but that did not mean that their enemies were not prowling around.
All of a sudden they heard a rustling coming from one of the nearby bushes and the elves froze.
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TBC
God bless and ride free, citizens.