Disclaimer: Lord of the Rings will never be mine, no matter how much I love it!

I'm sorry I haven't written in so long! I have been busy, but I hope to keep writing as soon as possible! If you were wondering, I believe that Aragorn will be mentioned next chapter. The first part of the story is kind of like a flashback about Thranduil.

Enjoy!

They had needed back up. Mirkwood was in danger, spiders and orcs usually never dared to come close to the palace, but today was different. The creatures of darkness were becoming more confident, and they fought against the elves of Mirkwood with more force and more fury than ever before. The spiders and the orcs had been attacking the land in greater numbers, leaving the elves of the Mirkwood forest with less and less hope for the future.

Thranduil feared the day when Mirkwood would be taken over by this evil. But as long as he was king, they would keep fighting.

Through the thin line of trees a furious battle could be seen.

Orcs were scattered across the forest, taking out as many unsuspecting elven archers as possible. And yet, elves were still hidden behind the foliage of the tree tops, raining arrows down on the orcs below. Despite the effort, it didn't seem to make a dent in the problem.

Thranduil retrieved his sword and prepared to join the fight. As king, Thranduil thought it was his duty to protect the elves of Mirkwood, and giving out orders was no longer going to help anyone. He zigzagged his way through trees on stealthy feet and joined the battle.

Thranduil had gotten quite a few stares from the other elves on the ground, and he knew that they felt slightly uncomfortable fighting alongside their king.

They felt it was their duty to protect their king, but the orcs were advancing and they needed all the help they could get. But that did not matter to Thranduil, for he knew that the battle was not going well, and Thranduil would do what he needed to protect his kingdom.

Despite the constantly spreading darkness, Mirkwood was home. Thranduil longed for the day when he would no longer look out upon the forest and wonder what darkness lay hidden within. He wished for the day when the elves of Mirkwood would be able to walk the land freely, without being plagued with worries of spiders and orcs.

A shadow loomed over Thranduil, causing his attention to snap upwards. He dodged the blow then neatly dispatched the orc, before impaling his sword in another.

The battle was coming to an end. Elves were tiring from the monotonous motions of pulling an arrow back, and swinging a blade. The number of orcs had depleted, for the evil creatures were fighting without order or guidance.

Eventually, the last orcs were surrounded. Elven archers were scattered atop the trees, as well as those littered on the ground. The small group of orcs found themselves surrounded by the pointed tips of elven swords.

Thranduil turned to face the remaining elves. Exhausted, he took a deep breath and looked around the circle. Elven eyes stared intently at him, awaiting any further instructions.

Thranduil looked at the elf next to him. "Please. Take care of these orcs."

Thranduil turned to the circle of elves, but before he could open his mouth to say anything, a shout erupted from the crowd.

Thranduil spun around to find the source of the outburst. His blue eyes stared directly into those of a lone orc, far beyond the circle of elves. The orc had already released an arrow in his direction, and before Thranduil could begin to tell himself to move, the arrow had embedded itself into his chest.

Thranduil heard the shouts of the elves around him, but they seemed distant, miles away from where he lay. He opened his eyes, and the canopy of trees swayed back and forth. He told himself to move, but darkness was so close, and his vision turned fuzzy.

Tendrils of darkness drifted in, and the world turned silent. And then nothing.

"I said I would like to see him now!"

"I'm sorry, but he is in no way ready to be seen."

"You think I care about that!" Came the blond elf's exasperated response.

"Please just wait a little longer-"

"Move." Legolas stated and pushed past the healer. The prince opened the door and rushed into the room, and the healer followed quickly behind him.

This was the largest of the healing rooms, as Thranduil was the king. The floor was of pale green tiles. Elves did not generally get cold, but the cool tiles sent chills down Legolas's spine.

The walls were furnished with paintings and murals, efforts to make the room seem homely. It was the most elaborate of the healing rooms, larger and decorated more than any of the other ones.

A large window stood next to the bed. From the window the forest was barely visible, the canopy of green sweeping over the land. The scene of the battle was hidden behind a curtain of lush foliage.

Legolas walked towards the bed, leaving the healer standing awkwardly at the door.

"Should I leave you for a moment?" The healer asked quietly. Legolas nodded briskly and the healer turned and left the room, closing the door silently behind him.

As soon as Legolas heard the door click shut, he turned to his father, "Ada, I... I don't know... I have no idea what to do," the elf's face crumbled.

Legolas composed himself, and moved towards the bed. "Sometimes I can't believe you," Legolas smiled and then grimaced.

"I would miss you so much," his voice cracked. "Don't even think about leaving. I need you, and your kingdom needs you." He paused and swallowed. Please, Ada, I... I would miss you so much."

Legolas looked down at his father, squeezed his hand, then walked swiftly towards the door. The elf looked back once, closing his eyes against the pain, before shutting the door silently.

To Be Continued...

Hello! I am so sorry to have been gone for so long. It feels like forever since I last wrote Fan Fiction. I will try and update as soon as possible, but it might be a little while until the next chapter is posted.

Sorry that this chapter is so short! Next chapter will be more interesting, and will hopefully have more action! (Either the next chapter or the one after that will include Aragorn).

Please feel free to review and comment, I am open to all suggestions! Also if you have any Lord of the Rings Fan Fictions you would like to have written, I would love to hear them!

OakLeaf6