I realized that Atar is indeed elfish for Father, but it's Quenya Elfish, and Thranduil speaks Sindarin Elfish. Sorry!
The next morning was full of yelling. Lots and lots of yelling. Elves were running about, grabbing last minute supplies, saying good-bye to loved ones, and loading up the supply wagon. "Make sure that bag doesn't fall out! No, Kahris, you're putting that crate in upside down! Now you're putting it in sideways. Ai! Valar help us! Henata, help your brother", barked the prince from the announcing ledge that was used for, well, announcing. Thranduil rubbed his temples. He cared for his kin, and would die for them, but sometimes they were just so thick! He had been charged with supervising the loading of the supply wagon, so, here he was, trying to correct the mistakes of others.
"Lord Thranduil, where shall we put the lambis bread?"
"Next to the water barrels."
"Yes my lord." The she-elf's eyes widened. "Um…my lord?" she inquired.
"What?!"
She began laughing. "I…Don't think….Kahris….gets the idea of packing." She managed between laughs.
Thranduil turned and slapped his forehead. Down in the center of the town, Kahris and Henata were taking food from the wagon and throwing it at each other. "What in the name of all things good and holy are they doing!?" yelled the prince. At that he leaped down from his perch and silenced the two squabbling siblings. "The point is to be packing the wagon, not unpacking it. Clean this mess up. Renastray!"
"Yes Lord Thranduil?"
"Tell King Oropher the departure time will be dallied", glaring at the two siblings.
"Yes my lord."
After the mess was cleaned, and Kahris and Henata had be scolded, it was time for the chosen elves to leave.
"Remember, the supply wagon will stop by a week from now, and that the Mirkwood spider nest is to be destroyed by the time I'm back and…"
"Relax, Ada, this is what I've been preparing for my entire life, though this roll you have given me is temporary. I've got this. You should be worrying about yourself. The pass through the mountains is a dangerous one."
The king sighed. "Ah, you're right. Take care, Thranduil."
"You too, Ada."
For weeks, the schedule stayed the same. Thranduil would wake up, give announcements, patrol the forest, arrange the taxes, inspect the guards, patrol again, then sleep and repeat. He didn't mind the same old thing every day. He was to rule someday, so this would be good practice. Everything was as it should be, until that fateful day came. It started when Renastray knocked at the door to the Prince's chambers.
"My lord?"
"Come in Renastray", Thranduil said in a manner that would be given to a friend. But, then again, they were friends. After all, they had grown up together. At the Prince's reply, Renastray entered.
"My lord, you have a letter", said Renastray, "And I brought you your supper."
Each time she entered the bed room, she could not help but stare in awe. The walls were painted a deep green with a silver leaf trim. The bedspread was an intricate weave of silver, green, and brown. The real wonder, was the oak wood desk in the corner. On the legs were complex carvings of leafs, trees, birds, stars, the moon. Needless to say, it was beautiful.
"Thank you Renastray. Just leave them on my desk." Thranduil reached for the letter as Renastray left. "Oh, and Renastray?"
"Yes, my lord?"
"There is no need to call me 'lord'. You are my friend, after all."
She couldn't help but wince. "Yes….Thranduil." She closed the door behind her and leaned against it for support. You are my friend. His words echoed in her head for a few minutes. Just a friend?! She wanted to scream. Almost everyone knew of her affection for the elf prince, except, of course, Thranduil. Even the king was catching on, and Oropher paid about as much attention to his son's personal life as he did to stepping on a twig. She laughed silently. That's Thranduil for you. As sharp as a spear when it came to battle, but oblivious when it came to other elf's feelings. A loud crash from inside the room interrupted her thoughts. She rushed inside to find Thranduil sitting in the corner, one hand holding the letter, the other holding his head. Next to him was the tray she had just brought in, the food on it scattered about. It was obvious it had fallen with Thranduil when he had tumbled. His face showed so much emotion and pain. Renastray had never seen him like this.
"Thranduil?" she asked cautiously.
As soon as he heard her voice, his emotionless mask slipped back on.
"Oh, forgive me Renastray, I merely tripped. All is well. Will you please clean this up? I need to take a night patrol out."
"Yep. That's why I'm here. To clean up the Prince's mess", She said, though all the amusement in her face showed she was teasing. And Thranduil grinned. Once he left she couldn't help but smile too. Thranduil hardly ever smiled, especially these days. Lately, all she was able to get out of him was a smirk, if she was lucky. But her smile quickly turned into a frown. The way he looked when she had walked in was unforgettable. He had looked so reduced and troubled. Thranduil was hiding something. Something important, and it had something to do with that letter. He was a pretty good liar, but Renastray knew him all too well. He wasn't probably hiding something. No. He was definitely hiding something.
If she had known, Renastray wouldn't have believed just how close her guess was.
Well, there it is. Chapter 2. Now I can check that off my list of things to do. Really hope you liked it. I'm trying to build the back story. You'll get your serpents soon! Well, actually, I don't really know when you'll get dragons, but I hope it's soon! I have to create the back story first.
