Elrond strode down the hall to his cells. He had very few as Imladris was supposed to be a place of peace, but they were a necessity for any security issues that would arise. Now they housed the Mirkwood guards that Thranduil had sent. Glorfindel had ensured they had been given food and water befitting prisoners, but they had received no news of Malorn's condition, nor had they been able to leave their small, dark confinements.
Normally Elrond would not have allowed such treatment of any guests in his home, whether he was particularly fond of them or not, but his rage toward the guards was almost uncontrollable. They had hurt an elf barely to majority because of things he had done while in the clutches of grief and had since repented for. It was as bad as attempting to kill an elfling in Elrond's opinion, the very thought of which physically sickened him. The guards had long since fallen from the title of guests in Elrond's opinion.
Malorn had been out of danger for many days now, his failed attempt at walking happening the day previous, but Elrond's fury had still been so great that he had not yet gone to see the guards. He did not think he could trust himself to be in their presence without ordering each of them to be given a hundred lashes each for their actions. But he also knew he could not keep them locked away forever. Thranduil would be expecting them back and would fear trouble if they did not return.
Thus, he had downed several glasses of potent wine to numb himself and headed down to his dungeons to deal with the guards. The door opened with a loud bang and Elrond entered the rows of cells that housed the guards. They all immediately leapt to their feet and stood at attention, though their eyes were cast to the ground. Elrond said nothing at first, but merely stared at each of them in turn and let them squirm under his fierce gaze.
"Well", he said finally. "What have you to say for yourselves?"
The captain of the patrol swallowed hard.
"It was a mistake, my lord", he said weakly. "We did not want him to hurt you."
"Take me not for a fool", Elrond roared. "In your heart, you knew very well Malorn was not a threat to me. You deliberately chose not to trust him because you had more power of authority over a dangerous assassin than a scared and grieving young boy. It was those feelings that coaxed you to act in haste, not because you were attempting to protect me."
The guards gulped and paled as they acknowledged for the first time what the secret motives of their hasty actions had really been.
"In the end, your motives truly matter not for your actions were the same and resulted in the same outcome", Elrond growled. "You have caused Malorn and thus me and my family so much more hurt than you could possibly imagine. Do you know the penalty for kinslayers, Captain of Mirkwood? Exile. Or if the king is in a disagreeable mood: Death. Did you think about those consequences that would fall on the shoulders of your men before you ordered Malorn shot? Not only is he an elf, he is the nephew of your king, which makes him your prince. Thus, killing him would make you not only a kinslayer, but also a traitor to the throne, as it would come to Malorn should Thranduil and Legolas both fall. You endangered Malorn's life with your hasty actions, as well as the future of your own kingdom and the wellbeing of your warriors. Do you understand the potential consequences of what you and those under you face because you refused to give Malorn the trust he had rightfully earned? Because you wished not to lose the feeling of power and superiority you had over him?"
By now, the face of every Mirkwood guard had gone frighteningly pale and the captain, looking like he might be ill, hesitantly nodded. Elrond held his gaze on them, letting the silence remain and allowing them to think hard about their consequences should Malorn have died.
"Malorn is recovering", Elrond said bluntly, finally ending their mental torture.
The guards all breathed a collective sigh of relief, but they did not raise their eyes. They knew they had still committed a terrible crime and though the worst had not happened, there would still be lasting consequences for them to face.
"Your punishments are not over however", Elrond said, confirming their thoughts. "Your residence will be here for the remainder of your stay in Imladris. You will be taken out of your cells under full guard every day to work five hours in the stables. As it also appears you are in need of a refresher course on proper conduct of warriors in battle and in life in general, you will be brought to Glorfindel to train for another five hours with him after your hours in the stables. After that, you will be returned here for the evening meal and the process will repeat the next day. You were planned to begin your return journey in twelve days so you will adhere to this schedule for the remainder of that time. When you do leave, I will be sending you with a letter to Thranduil explaining exactly what has occurred. No word will reach him before that so you will have to face your king and explain your actions by yourselves. I leave it to him to dole out any further punishments upon you that he deems just, but I would hold no hope for mercy. Am I understood?"
"Yes, Lord Elrond", the guards murmured hoarsely.
Elrond turned on his heel and swept regally from the room, leaving the guards to brood about the consequences of their decisions.
Elrond sat silently in his office and stared into space over folded hands. He had barely kept his temper in check as he talked to the guards and even now it threatened to boil over into an endless cloud of rage.
Could they not see? Did they not feel? Mentally, Malorn was no more than a scared elfling. He had been given no guidance, no training, and, for almost ten years, had been loved only by an ill and twisted elf that had been broken by so many wrongs. Malorn had not been able to mature and grow as most elves his age had the luxury to do. His mother had been too concerned with teaching him to merely survive and his father had been concerned with teaching his to make poisons. The guards had shot a child because they flat out refused to understand that his actions were done in grief and Malorn was sorrowful for them.
That refusal was the worst of it, Elrond decided. The fact that they so wanted to have power over someone they did not like that they let those feelings drive them to refuse to see the holes that the last year had left in Malorn's heart and keep them from having compassion on him. Frankly, it sickened Elrond and he found himself hoping fervently that the guards would return when Thranduil was already in a bad mood so the king would lay upon them the worst punishments imaginable.
Elrond shook his head of the dismal thoughts and sighed, trying to return to the letter he was writing to Thranduil, explaining what had occurred. No more than two lines in, he growled in frustration and crumpled the parchment, tossing it carelessly aside and rubbing his temples that were beginning to ache. Suddenly there was a soft knock on his study door and Elrond just caught himself before he would snap out a response. None of this was the fault of his faithful and kind servants and they did not deserve their lord's wrath.
"Enter", he called once he had introduced a measure of calm into his voice.
A servant opened the door and bowed. "My lord, Master Glorfindel wishes your presence on the training field."
Elrond frowned. "Did I not just request his presence here?"
"You did, my lord, and I carried you message to Master Glorfindel. However, he denied your request and seemed adamant about the fact that you meet him on the training fields. Begging your pardon, my lord, but he, um, ordered me to tell you that quote, uh, 'Y…You will meet him at once or he will come and drag you out by your ears'. His words sir, not mine!"
Elrond muttered something under his breath that would have made his sons blush, but grudgingly heaved himself out of his chair and stalked down to the training fields. He knew Glorfindel well enough to know that the marchwarden would have no problems carrying out his threat if he was not obeyed.
"I did not know you had made it habit of disobeying your lord", Elrond growled in annoyance when he reached the training fields.
"I have made no such thing a habit", Glorfindel said. "But it would do you no good to sit up in your stuffy office brooding and this is the only way to get you to let off some steam."
With that, Glorfindel hurled a dulled metal sparring sword hilt first to Elrond, the elf lord deftly catching it with practiced fingers.
"When you are too tired to lift your sword and meet me squarely, then I will listen", Glorfindel said, assuming a ready stance. "Tol, mellon nin!"
Elrond huffed in irritation but stripped to his tunic and leggings and charged into Glorfindel. He allowed his anger and frustration to fuel his strikes, making them hard, fast, and powerful. Glorfidnel matched him blow for blow, forcing Elrond work hard to keep up with the marchwarden's own swings. Soon both Glorfindel and Elrond were covered in sheens of sweat and streaks of dirt, but still they pressed on with their battle, Elrond's rage not yet spent.
They sparred for two hours straight with no breaks before Elrond finally showed some signs of slowing and could no longer squarely meet Glorfindel's blows. The marchwarden allowed himself to be pushed back and lowered his sword, Elrond doing the same.
"Feel better, Elrond", Glorfindel panted.
Elrond had not the breath to speak, but nodded, a small smile playing his lips. He could always count on Glorfindel to know exactly how to cheer him up, even if his methods could be quite annoying at first. The pair cleaned and replaced their blades and then went to the lake to cool down and speak.
"Now, what was it you wished to tell me", Glorfindel asked as they dangled their bare feet in the clean, cool water.
"As you probably guessed, I went to see the Mirkwood guards today", Elrond said. "I have told them that Malorn is on the mend, but they have also been given their punishments for the remainder of the time they will stay under my roof. They will stay in the dungeons at night but during the day, they are to work five hours in the stables, followed by another five hours training with you. They need to be reminded of the consequences of hasty actions in battle and of the kind of compassionate attitude they should show toward others."
"I agree and you know I will see it done", Glorfindel said, scowling down at the water. "Thranduil is going to be livid when he finds out what has occurred. How do you plan to tell him?"
"That is another part of the guards' punishment. I will write a letter detailing what happened and it will be their responsibility to personally deliver into Thranduil's hands."
Glorfindel's eyes widened in shock. "You may as well simply put them to death here and now! Thranduil will murder them where they stand when he finds out. You know how fond he had grown of Malorn by the time we left."
"I doubt he will be that unreasonable, but their sense of hearing may be forfeit after he is finished with his tirade upon them."
Glorfindel laughed. "I do believe you are right, mellon nin. I would pay any price to be there when that happens, though perhaps on the other side of the palace."
"Perhaps on the other side of Mirkwood", Elrond chuckled, pulling himself out of the water. "Now how about we head back. It is almost dinnertime and I would appreciate it if you would bathe before the evening meal. You are beginning to smell like an orc camp."
"The musk of warriors, my lord Elrond! The elleths are inescapably drawn to such manly scents."
Elrond punched Glorfindel lightly in the arm and the two friends walked back to the house, laughing.
Elvish Terms:
Elleth – A female elf
Mellon Nin – My friend
Tol – Come
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