It had been a decidedly brighter day when he made his promise to her but this day did remind him of that day. This day when he was in the forests The Raven appeared before him and showed him the day of his promise was upon him.
All those years ago she'd met him in the forest during one of their many trips through its enchanting paths. She'd told him of her wish. "When I die I wish to be buried in hallowed ground before sunset." She'd spoken with such a intense desire that, not that he'd even consider it, he couldn't refuse her this request. "I shall see to it" he'd told her and she'd smiled and handed him a necklace. "Keep it with you and bury it with me" where her parting words, he'd not seen her again in almost five centuries.
On one of their voyages into the intense green she'd told him of their shared ancestry. The race of the woodland guards was a dying one, and they where currently the last ones left. It had been the first time he'd been grateful for his immortality as it meant their race would live on until even the great trees last remaining light would've faded from the world and the eternal night swallowed them at last.
The forests where sick but there was one in the world that no malice could touch. This forest located in Scotland was so pure and clean that even the dwindling magical population remembered it as a place of unexplained mystery. No one knew that the guard of this forest still lived.
Through the eyes of The Raven he saw them pass through his forest and he nudged The Will to let them pass unhindered. He saw her body lying on their makeshift stretcher as they carried her towards the hallowed ground where she had wanted to be buried. Her beauty had changed with the years yet even at the age of five hundred and sixty-eight she possessed her grace and pureness.
Soon they where upon his location at the heart of the forest where their meetings had started, it had been the centre of their shared passion for the great green of the forests of the world. They passed him seemingly without noticing him and walked towards the flat ground. Gently they laid her down and she managed to point them towards the sunset before closing her eyes and waiting for the great green to claim her.
The men started to walk away but one of the hooded figures stayed back and started the slow process of covering her in her beloved hallowed ground. Twigs, small trees and plants slowly formed a natural outcropping in the forest of great greens and clean air where she laid to rest. After he finished the hooded man took of his hood to show a messy haired face bowed in respect as the being paid its final prayers to the witch of the forest before slowly walking away out of the great greens...
Slowly he stood up from his resting place where he'd been watching the proceedings in his forest and walked up to his friend and kin. He gently tugged the necklace from his neck and wound it around a twig. He stopped in front of her final resting place and again he nudged The Will of the great green to let her become part of it before sticking the twig in the centre of the mound and slowly walking away to see to his forest.
"And when the beings back was turned the necklace disappeared into the mound to be absorbed into the great green with its mistress." Thranduil finished his bedtime story to his son and slowly left the sleeping elfling to his dreams as he thought about the guardian of the forests.
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It was inspired by 'The Witches Tomb' by KORPLIKLAANI