To have lost everything

Thranduil: The King of the Woodland Realm

Legolas: Oldest son of King Thranduil, crown prince and heir to the throne, commander of the army.

Lucien: Son of King Thranduil, warrior and captain of the northern patrol.

Gilmarkar: Youngest son of king Thranduil, highest member of the council.

Arin: Wife to Legolas, married for almost 70 years at the beginning of the story.

Anariel: The Queen, dead.

Legolas' two bodyguards: Rozarko and Girion.

Legolas' elite team: Anglond, Mirthral, Rogon, Logon, Tristan, Falael, Cyan, Kaleth, Galdor, Gilthron.

First chapter: Riding out

Legolas stood in the door and watched his wife sleeping. Her light blonde hair framed her beautiful face. She looked so much at peace. He loved her, no doubt in than. She was pregnant with their first child, about nine months through, and still three months to her do day. Elves were pregnant for a year; it takes longer to create an immortal life than to create the life of a mortal.

Legolas walked over to the bed and kissed her on the forehead. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him.

"Good morning, my love" she said tiredly.

"I did not mean to wake you" Legolas said with regret in his voice.

"It's okay, I'm tired enough to fall right back asleep again. Are you off to the council meeting?".

"Yes" he answered and smiled down to his wife, "do remember that Lord Elrond and his family are coming today?".

"Oh yes" she smiled, "that I will not forget".

Legolas kiss her one last time, before he walked out of their bedroom to their living room where his two bodyguards were waiting, Rozarko and Girion. Rozarko was the oldest of the two, and about five hundred years older than the prince. He got the job as minder when Legolas was born. Girion was about the same age as Legolas, and got the job when Legolas started as captain for his patrol. Legolas was only three hundred years old at that point, the youngest captain in the Woodland Realms history, but one of the best, and by now, he commanded the entire army.

Rozarko put the white mithrel circlet on Legolas, who frowned and sighed.

"You do really hate that ting, don't you" chuckled Rozarko.

"Yes" answered Legolas before they walked out the door towards the meeting hall.

Legolas was the second last to arrive, the king was the last. The meeting hall was large, with large floor to roof windows to the right wall overlooking the forest. There were tables shaped like a horseshoe, and at the end the king and two princes were seated. Gilmarkar stood two the kings left, and at the kings right were Legolas seat. All stood and bowed when the crown prince walked in, and when he sat down, so did the others. Rozarko and Girion stood by the wall right behind Legolas, who organized his papers in front of him. Gilmarkar leaned over to his older brother.

"You are late" he commented.

"Well, yes" Legolas snapped and sighed, "but not as late as the king" he added with a twinkling in his eye.

Gilmarkar and Legolas wasn't very close, and often they stayed as far from each other as possible. Why this was thus, none could actually say. Legolas and Gilmarkar always seemed to be stepping over each other's toes.

A couples of minutes later the king arrived. Thranduil walked to the head of the table with determination, and all in the hall stood and bowed for their king. When Thranduil seated himself, so did his sons and the counselors.

Thranduil opened the meeting, and after two hours of discussing trade arrangements among other. Thranduil turned to Legolas, who had been mostly silent so far. It was mostly Gilmarkar who had a flair for politic, opposite Legolas, who was a warrior and commander for the army, and therefore didn't concentrate as hard on trade matters. That didn't mean he didn't have his opinions, he had, and they could be very strong at times. Legolas was known for his ability to talk his case, he had a strong personality, and therefore was well respected.

"Legolas" Thranduil said with authority in his voice, "you request that your team go to the southern border, why?".

"The activity of both spiders and orcs grow ever larger for every day that passed. They press our forced north; they cannot stand the attacks for much longer. We have to strike back before the dark grow too much and we are helpless against it. I request that I take my team to the southern border, and make a strike before the orcs and spiders grow to reckless. If it is possible, I also request to go towards Dol Guldur to survey the activity there, and see what enemy we are up against, possible get an insight of their plans".

Murmurs broke lose, and Thranduil thought for a moment.

"I assume you will lead this attack, or should I call it mission?" Thranduil said.

"Yes" Legolas answered.

"You are about to have a child in three months, can you be back before that?".

"That is not a question. I expect to be back in no more than two months, hopefully before. I will have at least two other team on standby in case the attack takes longer than that. And withdraw from the mission in time to be back".

"when do you plan to ride out?".

"In two days".

"Isn't it too dangerous to go so near Dol Guldur?" one of the councilors asked.

"Of cause its dangerous" Legolas replies with a calm voice and turned strong, blue eyes towards the councilor. "But how will you otherwise know who our enemy is? How will you know what lies behind those walls? And what threatens our realm?".

"But you are about to be a farther" another councilor said, "would you not rather be at home with your wife and child, instead of going out to a danger you do not know what is?".

"Of cause I would prefer to stay at home. But I want my child to grow up in a safe world, as I'm sure you all want to be at peace in a world where it is safe to be".

"But can't you get others to do this?" the councilor asked.

"I could, but then I would not be sure for the success of the mission".

"Can you be that now?" another councilor asked with hardness in his voice.

"No I can't" Legolas answered calm and met his gaze. "I cannot be sure this mission will succeed, but my team holds the best odds for success. If we can gather any information about our enemy, any at all, we have a chance to stand even better than we do now. We have a chance at knowing our enemy a little better, so we know what we are up against, and therefore can make precautions".

Silent fell over the hall after that, Legolas gazed upon the councilors, but none of them dared meet his gaze. Legolas turned next to Thranduil.

"My king", Thranduil met his eyes, "I know this missions are dangerous, but the things we can benefit of it, if we succeed, will make our stand against the enemy that much stronger".

"Very well" Thranduil sighed, and took the paper from Legolas and signed it, "permission granted" the said and handed the permission back to his son.

That afternoon Legolas was with his team, making them ready for the mission south. His team was of ten of the best warriors in the Woodland realm, and all of them was carefully picked out by Legolas.

First in the evening, Lord Elrond arrived with his family. They were led to the private living room of the royal family. Arin and Lucien, Legolas' younger brother, but older than Gilmarkar, was seated in the couch in front of the fire. Gilmarkar occupied an armchair with a book in his hands, and Thranduil sat in the other armchair, looking some papers over. Legolas was nowhere to be seen.

When Elrond and his family was announced by the guard by the door, all of the royal family stood to greet their friends. Thranduil walked first over and greeted Elrond.

"Lord Elrond" Thranduil greeted with a bow and a hand over his heart, "welcome, mellonamin".

"It has been too long, my old friend" Elrond greeted back with a bow and his hand to his heart. Thereafter they met in a warm embrace.

Elronds eyes soon fall on Arin, who stood behind the two youngest sons of Thranduil. She was in a simple, but beautiful white dress.

"Princess Arin" Elrond greeted and kissed her hand, "you become ever more beautiful from every time I see you".

"Oh you flatter, my Lord" she chuckled and blushed slightly.

"Are you trying to steal my wife away from me, my Lord?" a calm voice behind Elrond asked.

The Lord of Imladris smiled and turned to find Thranduil's eldest son stand behind him. Legolas stood with a smile open his ethereal face. He too, was dressed in a silvery white tunic, with his silvery white hair cast around his shoulders, which made him appear even more ethereal.

"I don't think anybody is capable of stealing her away from you, my prince, she loves you too much for that to happen. And, by the way, I do not dare steal her from you. You will hunt me down to the end of the world and have no mercy on my soul".

"Well" Legolas said and chuckled, "can't argue with the truth".

"It is good to see you again, penneth" Elrond pulled Legolas into a fatherly hug.

Elledan and Elrohir hugged their lifelong friend thereafter and Arwen hugged him last. The two families dined together that evening, and shared news about their two realms.

Two days after, in the early morning, Legolas rode out with his team and two bodyguards. Legolas got ready in his private quarters, Arin by his side the hole time.

"Two months you say" she said while Legolas put his green tunic on.

"Two months, and then I'm home with you again" he smiled.

"Be careful" she whispered, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"I'm always careful" he said and earned a chuckle from his wife. "Well, almost always careful".

He walked over to her and kiss her tenderly, "I love you so much" he said against her lips. In that moment the child inside her started to kick and she yelped in surprise.

Legolas laughed and knelled in front of her and ley hind hands on her stomach, the child immediately relaxed when it felt its fathers calm energy. He kissed her stomach before standing up again and taking his weapons. He kissed his wife goodbye before he walked out of their room and towards the courtyard.

Rozarko walk out of the stables with his gray horse and Legolas pure white stallion. It was a magnificent horse, strong and trained for war, bur incredible loyal. Legolas didn't ride with saddle, only harness, there also was pure white. The royal family and Elrond's family walk out to the courtyard to say goodbye to Legolas. When Legolas walk out the door, dressed in his green patrol tunic, his team all knell whit their fits on their heart, a gesture of true loyalty towards their commander. Thranduil looked down upon his eldest son as he mounted his horse, and was filled with pride.

Legolas turned his horse towards his king, family and friend on the steps to the palace. He put his hand to his hearts and bowed his head. His team did the same, before he turned his horse and galloped towards the southern border.