Disclaimer: I own nothing. All Elvish translations are approximate. If I have made any mistakes in translating, please, please correct me!
Note: May contain spoilers for "The Terrible Tricksters" and future stories. Sorry!
Warning: This is the most depressing fic I have written so far (and probably will ever write). Just felt like writing something... angst-y.
No slash. Never, ever, ever slash!
Takes place approximately ten years before the War of the Ring began.
Legolas snatched his bow and two arrows out of his quiver and shot them straight into the charging spider's head. Just before the creature reached him, Legolas nimbly jumped away and shot another arrow into its writhing body. The creature crashed into a tree and fell down dead.
Elladan gritted his teeth as he battled another spider on a nearby tree branch several yards off the ground. Looking below, he could see his twin brother, Elrohir, running madly along the forest floor to escape yet another enraged spider that was chasing him.
Looking up, Elladan saw Glorfindel fending off a horde of spiders scurrying down the tree.
"Uh, Legolas." Elladan called, his voice shaking slightly. "There's more coming!"
"Don't worry!" Glorfindel chirped happily, ducking a spider leg. "I've got it covered."
Down on the forest floor, Elrohir groaned. This was all Glorfindel's fault. If he hadn't insisted on seeing Legolas' spider-killing skills, they wouldn't be in this predicament.
"Glorfindel, you're several hundred years older than me. Can't you see that we're outnumbered?" Elrohir screamed, dismembering a charging arachnid.
Glorfindel sent him a dazzling white, slightly crazed smile. "Well, yes, but we've got Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood, the most skillful spider-slayer in all of Arda. And we also have the mighty Balrog slayer. That's me."
Legolas stared at the crazed warrior. He jumped down to Elrohir, who was, at the moment, free of attackers.
"Is he always like this in battle?" he whispered to his friend.
"No." Elrohir replied, then grimaced. "He's much worse."
Legolas sighed. This was going to be a long day...
Three hours later, the four spider-fighters trudged into King Thranduil's palace. They were met by a furious Elrond, a raging Thranduil, and an indignant Erestor who was seething about not being invited on the spider-hunting excursion.
"Where were you and what were you doing?" Thranduil growled. An awkward silence fell over the group.
"Hunting spiders." Glorfindel finally piped up. The twins and Legolas sent death-glares at him. Glorfindel glared back at them, not penitent in the least.
"Where were you hunting spiders?" Thranduil spat, his patience wearing thin. "The place where I explicitly forbade you to go?"
"Maybe?" Elrohir squeaked.
Thranduil sighed.
"Go ahead." he went on, waving a hand at Elrond. "You lecture them."
This time, Elrond sent Thranduil a death glare. Thranduil stared innocently back.
"Fine then. I will lecture my own sons." Elrond conceded. He turned and looked Erestor straight in the eye. "You, on the other hand, will lecture this, this, elfling about the dangers of rashness and spiders." Elrond glanced quickly at Glorfindel.
Erestor crossed his arms and pouted. "Hir-nin, that's not fair."
"That's not fair!" Glorfindel shouted, who finally understood Elrond's reference.
Elrond cleared his throat. "Legolas."
Legolas looked up at Elrond.
"King Thranduil will speak to you about your behavior today. Your ada will decide your punishment." Elrond continued. He waved a hand, dismissing them.
The elves dispersed, grumbling to themselves.
Luckily, Thranduil and Elrond were soon absorbed in dissecting a recently obtained treaty from Dain, the King Under the Mountain, Ruler of Erebor, etc. This allowed the twins, Legolas, Glorfindel, and, surprisingly, Erestor to sneak away and hide.
"That was close." Elrohir smirked as soon as they were out of the rulers' earshot.
"You can say that again." Elladan breathed out a sigh of relief.
"That was close." Elrohir repeated.
Legolas smacked Elrohir on the back. "I do not think he meant that literally, mellon-nin."
Elrohir simply grinned.
Glorfindel and Erestor sighed.
After an awkward silence, Erestor tried to restart the conversation.
"So..." he began uneasily, "How was spider hunting? WITHOUT me, I must add?"
"Fun." Glorfindel replied.
"Dangerous." Elrohir shuddered.
"Normal." Legolas shrugged.
"Foolish." Elladan admitted.
Erestor threw his hands up in frustration. "Why did you go without ME?" he pouted. "Seriously, how might this incident have turned out differently?"
"It would have been more boring." Glorfindel retorted.
"I'm with him." Elrohir added, putting a hand on the warrior's shoulder.
Erestor glared. Then, his mouth twisted into an evil grin.
"Time to take my revenge." he grinned, taking Glorfindel by the ear and dragging him out the room. Glorfindel's face paled and his eyes widened as he realized what Erestor was inferring.
The other elves winced when they heard the door slam after Erestor. Snippets of Erestor's lecture floated into the room.
"I would NOT enjoy being Glorfindel right now." Legolas remarked.
Suddenly, the door reopened, revealing Thranduil in the doorway.
"I would not enjoy being YOU right now, mellon." Elladan whispered, patting Legolas on the back. "Good luck."
Legolas grimaced as Thranduil grasped his ear with an iron grip. His eyes pleaded with the twins to help him as he was dragged out the door.
"I'm starting to feel like this is deja vu." Elrohir reflected as Elrond burst into the room.
"No kidding." Elladan replied. Elrond silenced the twins with a glare and continued dragging them out the door by their ears.
"Ada, please, I can explain." Legolas begged.
"Silence." Thranduil commanded, and shoved Legolas into the king's chambers.
Legolas winced. He hadn't visited these rooms in years, not since... his naneth had died.
Thranduil saw Legolas' pained face. His voice softened.
"Sit down, Legolas." Thranduil gestured to a nearby chair.
Legolas sat down obediently, not wanting to anger Thranduil further.
"Why?" Thranduil asked again, though softer this time. "Why? You could have been killed!"
"I'm sorry, ada." Legolas whispered.
"Legolas."
Legolas looked up at his ada. He wondered what was troubling him so much. Usually, Thranduil worried whenever he went out on scouting patrols with the other Mirkwood elves, but this was different. He had never seen him so agitated over a simple spider hunt.
Thranduil breathed hard, his chest tightening. "Legolas, I have to tell you something."
"What is it, ada?" Legolas asked, his eyes filled with worry.
"I don't know how to say this to you, but-"
"Ada-"
"I am not your ada." There, it was out.
Legolas's eyes widened in fear.
Thranduil sighed and sank into another chair, facing Legolas. He took Legolas' hands in his.
"Yes, you are!" Legolas almost screamed, jumping to his feet. "Yes, you ARE my ada."
"No, Legolas." Thranduil shook his head sadly. "You are not Thranduilion. You are Glorfindelion."
Translation of Elvish Words:
Arda: Middle-Earth
Hir-nin: My lord
Ada: Father
Mellon-nin: My friend
Mellon: Friend
Naneth: Mother
Thranduilion: Son of Thranduil
Glorfindelion: Son of Glorfindel
Author's Note: Just my two-bits on the "Legolas is not Thranduil's son" theory.
Confession: I was crying a little while writing this. It all goes down from here... Lots of angst.
But... don't worry! Happy-ish (not really) ending on the way!
Note: To all those who are reading my stories faithfully, I will try to update, add, and revise as many stories as possible before going on hiatus. Thank you all for reading!
~Kate