A/N: It wasn't until about 1100 TA that the Istari and the Chief Eldar
discovered the stronghold of Dol Guldur. At the time they thought it was
one of the Nazgul. (ROTK, Appendix B)
In other words, I goofed. :-( Sorry. This story was supposed to take place around 1055 or so, but instead it's now 1100. Oh well. I did say AU; I didn't know how much. That always seems to happen to me during the last chapter. I don't know why.
In case you haven't heard, I have a Yahoo mailing list now. Go for news and story updates. And you actually have to sign up for it. I don't think I can automatically put you on the list.
Review responses: Ebony Falcon - I learned Sindarin and Quenya from what I found on Ardalambion.com and Elvish.org. There are more links for them on my webpage as well as on my mailing list. Just to warn you, I spent over 3 months trying to learn Quenya alone. After that, I picked up on Sindarin. If you want to learn, go for it. It's quite fun, and seeing people's reactions when they overhear you talking about/in Elvish are hysterical.
Theresa Green - LOL, yeah. I loved the ideas too, and that's why I included them. I always appreciate your criticism. Thank you.
Krystle, l'elfe de Mirkwood, Dimgwrthien - Thank you very much. ^_^
katiestar - Sorry for the long wait. I seem to get "Poor Legolas" a lot. :)
Gwyn - I agree with you. This story did move too fast, so I am going back and tweaking certain parts. I will have an extended chapter three that will have more of Thranduil's inner debate. Thank you so much.
Rose Darkfire - LOL. I would have used that plot, but it would not have had the same impact. Because Legolas was his only child, it had more of an effect on him. And thank you about the Elvish. I try. ^_^ Well, what reviewers think of the story is important to me. It helps me improve.
Haldir's Heart and Soul - I'm sure every parent has had to make very hard decisions based on their kids. I know my mom did. Plus, if Legolas hadn't forgiven his father, he would have regretted it later on.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Part Eight -- Môr Dannatha
Thranduil was still sitting in his chair, half awake, when Mithrandir appeared inside his room.
"Thranduil, tolo. Boe pedim."
The Elvenking shifted his weight, turning away from him. "There is nothing to discuss."
"Thranduil," Mithrandir repeated with a slightly harsher tone, "you are coming with me whether you want to or not."
Thranduil opened his mouth to protest, but shut it, not wanting to angry a Wizard. With a look of confusion and annoyance, he stood up and walked out the door, closely followed by Mithrandir.
~*~
Both were silent as they walked through the palace hallways. Once outdoors, the Istar tried to ease the tension. "I am glad to see that Legolas has forgiven you." Not getting an immediate response, he continued. "You have done quite well raising him alone."
Thranduil nodded. "I would like to think so." There was a slight pause. "If you had not arrived when you did, I cannot even begin to imagine what I might have done."
"A wizard arrives precisely when he means to, Thranduil," Mithrandir replied, smiling. "It was not by mere coincidence that I arrived when I did."
The Elvenking was not amused. "Do you have a true reason why you bid me to come here?"
The grin quickly faded from the Istar's face, and he turned serious. "I believe that, somehow, Sauron and his minions are still at work. I have reason to believe that one of them, possibly one of the Nazgul, has a stronghold here in your own realm. Until his power is destroyed, Greenwood will be engulfed in darkness. It could be years or decades before we discover where the stronghold is located, and just how strong his power really is."
Thranduil's jaw nearly hit the ground. It took him a few seconds to regain his ability to speak. "I . . . I do not understand. The prophecy--"
"--Was misleading. I went back to it after you began to pack. Had you killed Legolas, the Darkness over Greenwood would have lifted, but only temporarily."
Thranduil let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes. "Mithrandir, you do not know how grateful I am that you were here."
"Actually, I do know." The faintest smile graced the Wizard's features.
"A father should never have to bury his son," Thranduil replied, as if he hadn't heard him. His eyes flung open in realization. "Decades? But what shall I do until then? I cannot sit idly by and watch my people turn into feasts for wolves."
"The main problem, Thranduil, is that your border guards are trained to fight orcs, not giant spiders and wolves. They are poorly trained and badly equipped to face such foes. Instruct your guards to better prepare themselves in an event of another ambush. Also, the spiders' venom is toxic to Elves, but there is an antidote. I made a batch for your healers and have given them instructions for how to make more. As long as it is given within the hour, the afflicted will survive."
The Elvenking stared in disbelief, and then shook his head. "Such an obvious solution. You must think me as a very terrible king."
"Not at all," Mithrandir reassured him. "You simply were not aware of the circumstances. Besides," he added, "you always have been known to take the more drastic route."
Thranduil turned slightly pink. Fortunately for him, he was saved from any further uneasiness by the sight of Legolas running towards them -- or so he thought.
"Greetings, Adar," said Legolas, smiling. "Thank you, Mithrandir. For everything."
Mithrandir chuckled, ruffling the Elfling's hair. "You are more than welcome, cunn neth."
The Elvenking glanced up at the sky, noticing the sun was directly overhead. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "You have archery practice right now, do you not?"
Slightly embarrassed, Legolas looked down and kicked at a clump of grass. "Yes . . ."
"Go . . . now."
"Yes, adar . . ." Legolas turned and slowly started walking away. After a few steps, he stopped and looked back. After a stern nod from his father, he lowered his head and continued towards his lesson.
As soon as he disappeared from view, Thranduil sighed. "I still have a lot of work to do with him."
Mithrandir broadly grinned. "Oh, he is not so bad. Believe me, the two twin terrors of Elrond Peredhel are much worse, and I make it a point to avoid his daughter whenever possible."
"I will take your word for it," Thranduil replied, staring at the vacant area formally occupied by his son. "Still, I never would have forgiven my father had he tried to do the same to me."
"That is true, but then again you are not Oropher, and Legolas is not you."
The two were suddenly thrown back when a stray arrow from the archery range flew between them, barely missing them both. It struck the trunk of a tree just a few feet behind them.
"Sorry!" A voice that sounded like his son's shouted from afar.
Thranduil groaned aloud, rolling his eyes. "You were saying . . .?" he asked, massaging his forehead with one hand.
Mithrandir placed his hand on the king's shoulder. "It is all right, mellon vell, he will learn eventually. Remember?"
Thranduil opened his mouth to ask, but laughed when he saw the twinkle in Mithrandir's eye. "I do, and I suppose you want me to help him."
"All of Greenwood will thank you," he replied, patting him on the back.
"As always, I will do my best."
"At least you have all of the time in the world now." Mithrandir brought two fingers to his mouth and a shrill whistle pierced the air. Within seconds a brown stallion appeared from the thicket.
"You are leaving?" Thranduil asked, somewhat surprised. "Must you go so soon?"
"I am needed elsewhere." He turned to see the Elvenking's brow furrowed with worry. Mithrandir faintly smiled. "But do not fret. I know you. You will be fine without me. Until next time, Thranduil." He mounted and with a flick of the reigns, he rode away, disappearing into the forest.
"Until next time . . . mellon vell," Thranduil muttered to himself. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, glancing in Legolas' direction, and a devilish grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Legolas, if you insist on shooting with your feet, you have to work on your control of the arrow." He allowed the smile to spread across his entire face. "Here, let me show you . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Môr Dannatha (Darkness Will Fall)
Thranduil, tolo. Boe pedim. (Thranduil, come. We need to talk.) (Lit. "Thranduil, come. It is necessary we speak.")
adar (father)
cunn neth (young prince)
mellon vell (dear friend)
THE END
In other words, I goofed. :-( Sorry. This story was supposed to take place around 1055 or so, but instead it's now 1100. Oh well. I did say AU; I didn't know how much. That always seems to happen to me during the last chapter. I don't know why.
In case you haven't heard, I have a Yahoo mailing list now. Go for news and story updates. And you actually have to sign up for it. I don't think I can automatically put you on the list.
Review responses: Ebony Falcon - I learned Sindarin and Quenya from what I found on Ardalambion.com and Elvish.org. There are more links for them on my webpage as well as on my mailing list. Just to warn you, I spent over 3 months trying to learn Quenya alone. After that, I picked up on Sindarin. If you want to learn, go for it. It's quite fun, and seeing people's reactions when they overhear you talking about/in Elvish are hysterical.
Theresa Green - LOL, yeah. I loved the ideas too, and that's why I included them. I always appreciate your criticism. Thank you.
Krystle, l'elfe de Mirkwood, Dimgwrthien - Thank you very much. ^_^
katiestar - Sorry for the long wait. I seem to get "Poor Legolas" a lot. :)
Gwyn - I agree with you. This story did move too fast, so I am going back and tweaking certain parts. I will have an extended chapter three that will have more of Thranduil's inner debate. Thank you so much.
Rose Darkfire - LOL. I would have used that plot, but it would not have had the same impact. Because Legolas was his only child, it had more of an effect on him. And thank you about the Elvish. I try. ^_^ Well, what reviewers think of the story is important to me. It helps me improve.
Haldir's Heart and Soul - I'm sure every parent has had to make very hard decisions based on their kids. I know my mom did. Plus, if Legolas hadn't forgiven his father, he would have regretted it later on.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Part Eight -- Môr Dannatha
Thranduil was still sitting in his chair, half awake, when Mithrandir appeared inside his room.
"Thranduil, tolo. Boe pedim."
The Elvenking shifted his weight, turning away from him. "There is nothing to discuss."
"Thranduil," Mithrandir repeated with a slightly harsher tone, "you are coming with me whether you want to or not."
Thranduil opened his mouth to protest, but shut it, not wanting to angry a Wizard. With a look of confusion and annoyance, he stood up and walked out the door, closely followed by Mithrandir.
~*~
Both were silent as they walked through the palace hallways. Once outdoors, the Istar tried to ease the tension. "I am glad to see that Legolas has forgiven you." Not getting an immediate response, he continued. "You have done quite well raising him alone."
Thranduil nodded. "I would like to think so." There was a slight pause. "If you had not arrived when you did, I cannot even begin to imagine what I might have done."
"A wizard arrives precisely when he means to, Thranduil," Mithrandir replied, smiling. "It was not by mere coincidence that I arrived when I did."
The Elvenking was not amused. "Do you have a true reason why you bid me to come here?"
The grin quickly faded from the Istar's face, and he turned serious. "I believe that, somehow, Sauron and his minions are still at work. I have reason to believe that one of them, possibly one of the Nazgul, has a stronghold here in your own realm. Until his power is destroyed, Greenwood will be engulfed in darkness. It could be years or decades before we discover where the stronghold is located, and just how strong his power really is."
Thranduil's jaw nearly hit the ground. It took him a few seconds to regain his ability to speak. "I . . . I do not understand. The prophecy--"
"--Was misleading. I went back to it after you began to pack. Had you killed Legolas, the Darkness over Greenwood would have lifted, but only temporarily."
Thranduil let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes. "Mithrandir, you do not know how grateful I am that you were here."
"Actually, I do know." The faintest smile graced the Wizard's features.
"A father should never have to bury his son," Thranduil replied, as if he hadn't heard him. His eyes flung open in realization. "Decades? But what shall I do until then? I cannot sit idly by and watch my people turn into feasts for wolves."
"The main problem, Thranduil, is that your border guards are trained to fight orcs, not giant spiders and wolves. They are poorly trained and badly equipped to face such foes. Instruct your guards to better prepare themselves in an event of another ambush. Also, the spiders' venom is toxic to Elves, but there is an antidote. I made a batch for your healers and have given them instructions for how to make more. As long as it is given within the hour, the afflicted will survive."
The Elvenking stared in disbelief, and then shook his head. "Such an obvious solution. You must think me as a very terrible king."
"Not at all," Mithrandir reassured him. "You simply were not aware of the circumstances. Besides," he added, "you always have been known to take the more drastic route."
Thranduil turned slightly pink. Fortunately for him, he was saved from any further uneasiness by the sight of Legolas running towards them -- or so he thought.
"Greetings, Adar," said Legolas, smiling. "Thank you, Mithrandir. For everything."
Mithrandir chuckled, ruffling the Elfling's hair. "You are more than welcome, cunn neth."
The Elvenking glanced up at the sky, noticing the sun was directly overhead. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "You have archery practice right now, do you not?"
Slightly embarrassed, Legolas looked down and kicked at a clump of grass. "Yes . . ."
"Go . . . now."
"Yes, adar . . ." Legolas turned and slowly started walking away. After a few steps, he stopped and looked back. After a stern nod from his father, he lowered his head and continued towards his lesson.
As soon as he disappeared from view, Thranduil sighed. "I still have a lot of work to do with him."
Mithrandir broadly grinned. "Oh, he is not so bad. Believe me, the two twin terrors of Elrond Peredhel are much worse, and I make it a point to avoid his daughter whenever possible."
"I will take your word for it," Thranduil replied, staring at the vacant area formally occupied by his son. "Still, I never would have forgiven my father had he tried to do the same to me."
"That is true, but then again you are not Oropher, and Legolas is not you."
The two were suddenly thrown back when a stray arrow from the archery range flew between them, barely missing them both. It struck the trunk of a tree just a few feet behind them.
"Sorry!" A voice that sounded like his son's shouted from afar.
Thranduil groaned aloud, rolling his eyes. "You were saying . . .?" he asked, massaging his forehead with one hand.
Mithrandir placed his hand on the king's shoulder. "It is all right, mellon vell, he will learn eventually. Remember?"
Thranduil opened his mouth to ask, but laughed when he saw the twinkle in Mithrandir's eye. "I do, and I suppose you want me to help him."
"All of Greenwood will thank you," he replied, patting him on the back.
"As always, I will do my best."
"At least you have all of the time in the world now." Mithrandir brought two fingers to his mouth and a shrill whistle pierced the air. Within seconds a brown stallion appeared from the thicket.
"You are leaving?" Thranduil asked, somewhat surprised. "Must you go so soon?"
"I am needed elsewhere." He turned to see the Elvenking's brow furrowed with worry. Mithrandir faintly smiled. "But do not fret. I know you. You will be fine without me. Until next time, Thranduil." He mounted and with a flick of the reigns, he rode away, disappearing into the forest.
"Until next time . . . mellon vell," Thranduil muttered to himself. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, glancing in Legolas' direction, and a devilish grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Legolas, if you insist on shooting with your feet, you have to work on your control of the arrow." He allowed the smile to spread across his entire face. "Here, let me show you . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Môr Dannatha (Darkness Will Fall)
Thranduil, tolo. Boe pedim. (Thranduil, come. We need to talk.) (Lit. "Thranduil, come. It is necessary we speak.")
adar (father)
cunn neth (young prince)
mellon vell (dear friend)
THE END
