Chapter 29: Messenger
"I'm sorry to disturb you my Lord," Legolas' primary personal servant at the Halls stepped into his rooms unsolicited. The prince had been holing up in his quarters for the last day, embarrassed about what he had done and conflicted about what Argalad still claimed was the case, that the king's new laws were not good for Mirkwood. "King Bard the Dragonslayer has just arrived in a rush. He's asking to see your father. We told him to wait, but he insists the matter is urgent."
"Let him in so I can speak with him," the prince said quickly. It was furthest from him to want to disturb Thranduil, let alone contribute to anyone finding out about the afflictions plaguing the king at the present time.
"I appreciate you receiving me," Bard burst in with the air' of a person in a hurry, brow covered in sweat and still breathing heavily from the ride. "I need you to listen to me."
"Has something happened, King Bard?" Legolas indicated a chair by the table to sit on.
The bowman gave a small shake of the head to decline the invitation to sit down. "I hope not. Is Lord Thranduil unwell?"
"Why should you ask that question?"
"He hasn't been well during his last visit to Dale, and to be honest, I hope I'm not too late with my warning. I've had the occasion to spend an evening in the company of some rather drunken dwarves who pride themselves to belong to King Dain's inner circles and well, if their bibulous words are anything to go by, I now know why the dwarfking did not put up more resistance to giving the Gems of Lasgalen back to Thranduil!"
Legolas had to stifle a frown. His mother's gems were back at the Halls and he didn't even know about it. "I had to come immediately, right after the conversation, middle of the night or no night, I owe His Lordship that much for not forgetting about us in our great need," Bard continued without needing to be prompted, "I came to make sure Lord Thranduil isn't in peril. Or is he?"
"I'm not sure what you mean," Legolas still wasn't giving the game away just yet.
"According to these dwarves, the Gems of Lasgalen are cursed! And the curse should activate as soon as they are back with their rightful owner, and as far as I know, that would be your father!"
"A curse you say. Did they tell you what this particular curse should do?"
"Not in so many words, but by what I've gathered, they were suggesting it would weaken the one possessed. A clever trick where it does not cause a strong and healthy individual immediate harm, thus making the spell untraceable, but as soon as an injury or malady would take hold, dark magic will keep the individual from getting better. And given that I know how unwell Thranduil had been to start with, you can see my concerns. We must act!"
"Oh Valar, that is why he's ill!" Legolas panted with the revelation and almost hugged the messenger, only his elvish pridefulness stopping him from doing so.
"How ill?" Bard was weary to hear the answer.
Legolas grabbed him by the arm, looking at him intently, "do you know how to get rid of the curse?"
"That I don't, but I thought it more important to come tell you about it, rather than hang about for some information that might never be given. It is very likely the dwarves I was talking to didn't know themselves."
"Good man," Legolas squeezed the arm he was holding, "thank you for you friendship and dedication, King Bard. Stay, I'm sure my father will want to thank you himself," the Prince nodded before knocking the door out the way and bursting into a run towards Thranduil's rooms. Notwithstanding the curse must have been at work for a long long time, he did not want to waste any more.
Galion jumped at his entry into the antechambers and opened his mouth to speak, aweary of the duellant's sudden appearance in his opponent's abode despite how subdued and worried Legolas had been after Thranduil's collapse, but the butler did not get a word in, nor did he have enough time to jump in the crown prince's way. "Where are the Gems of Lasgalen!" Legolas advanced on the bed, disregarding that he had just interrupted a kiss. At least they were dressed and decent, it shortly crossed his mind before explaining himself, "we need to get rid of them immediately, they are cursed!"
"They are cursed.." Tauriel repeated, everything starting to suddenly make sense. Thranduil pulled himself up to sit, searching his son's face. He did not want it to be true, he did not want to part from the memento, his stomach ached at just the thought of that.
"Where are they?" Tauriel joined the worried questioning.
"In a chest under the bed," Thranduil relented, just because of who was asking. Tauriel gasped at the cursed object's proximity and knelt to retrieve the item at once while Legolas looked under at the other side.
Tbc
