Fear not! This chapter will return to Kélion and co. You did not think I would leave them in this situation, did you?
Thank you to my beta ElvenMaia! You are a life saver! And thank you to everyone who reads and enjoys this story. It makes me so happy that many of you enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it :)
So without further ado, here is chapter 30...
Out of Mirkwood
Scribbles-on-Parchment
February 15, 2020
Chapter 30 – Empty Rooms
"Hîr nín?" Thalion's knock on the door echoed around the room, "Thranduil are you well?"
But there was no answer. Another knock,
"Summon me if you are in need of anything. I will not be far."
The sound of footsteps walking away from the royal chambers sounded like death gongs in the still rooms. As the footsteps faded, so did Thranduil's life force. There was no movement inside of the king's chambers; no sound, save the king of the Greenwood's faltering breaths. As the poison attacked the Sinda's heart and lungs the elf's breaths grew quieter and weaker, his face was pale and his lips ashen and blue. But still the faint light of the eldar flickered around his fallen form, casting a faint glow around the king as if starlight was trying to cradle his body. The mighty king of the Greenwood lay as still as death, alone in his chambers.
Soft, hurried footfalls sounded from the hall. After several moments the great door to the king's rooms swung softly open. An elleth, with eyes the color of silver starlight and hair sparkling amber in the firelight, stepped in. She glanced around the hall to see if anyone was watching before shutting the great door with a soft click.
Kélion had never traveled with as much urgency and haste as he did now. Everything was all falling into place. The gate had been a distraction, a ploy meant to halt them from returning to the palace sooner. Was this the work of the traitor? He dimly registered that the sun was setting swiftly. Had they truly been out of the palace for that long?
Around him Kélion could hear the cries of the trees as they once more tired to overpower him with waves of hatred. It appeared to the prince as if everything that had once been green and alive in the forest, now was darkened and decaying. It looked to be a trail of corruption. Something of great evil had passed this way. But he would worry about saving the trees later.
Kélion bust upon the clearing where the great gates lay, startling the two Silvan guards that stood by either side. They looked at the ellon in surprise as he burst into the clearing.
"Edra-si annon!" the harsh voice of the crown prince seemed to echo off the surrounding rocks and trees.
Startle, both ellyn rushed to do his bidding, neither desiring to anger the Sinda anymore. Kélion's eyes were a blaze with anger as he stormed up to the gates. But concealed under his brilliant azure eyes were fear and dread that threatened to overpower his usually emotionless exterior. As the prince got close to the gates he demanded,
"Where is the king? Where is my adar?"
Both Silvans looked at one another before one stuttered,
"I do not know, hîr nín. Forgive me."
The ellon bowed low to the ground as the prince brushed past followed closely by Meldir and Êmand. The Sinda called out behind him,
"Shut the gates. Do not let anyone enter of leave, by order of your prince."
"But my lord," one of the elves inside the Welcome Hall hesitated, "What of our patrols? Do we not send them out?"
"Not until I have spoken with my adar. Now do as I have asked."
The anger in Kélion's voice was undermined with a hint of desperation that sent all the elves in the room scrambling to do their prince's bidding.
As Kélion marched across the Welcome Hall he had to resist the urge to run to his adar's rooms, but he restrained himself to a rushed walk. If the traitor was somewhere in these halls or one of the elves in this room, then he did not want this evil elf to be alerted just yet.
As all three of the ellyn hurried through the halls that led the royal chambers, Kélion heard a voice call out to him.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Thalion rounded a corner in front of them with several guards, halting the party,
"Kélion, I have just been alerted that you have shut the great gates without consulting your king. What do you hope to gain by this stunt?"
The Sinda looked the elf dead in the eye,
"As the crown prince of the Greenwood do I not have the authority to shut the gates if I deem it necessary? Have I not also the power to also open them again? Now move aside I must speak with my adar."
The older ellon seemed to hear the underlying tone in the prince's voice and quickly stepped to the side. As Kélion passed by Thalion nodded for the guards to follow them.
"What it is? What has happened?"
The Silvan's question was directed at the prince, but it was Êmand who answered.
"Dark magic. It is all over the forest. Now tell me mellon where is Thranduil?"
The intensity in the elf's voice brought dread coursing through him,
"I knocked on the king's door not an hour past. He did not answer, so I assumed him to be resting."
"You left him alone?" Kélion's voice was edged with anger.
"Yes. There was nothing to cause me to suspect anything was ill with him. What is it that you know that I do not? What do you not tell me?"
None of the ellyn answered as is was at that moment that they arrived at the ornate wooden gates of the king.
Kélion felt his heart leap in his chest as he found himself standing at the door that he knew so well. For he had stood at them many times and always his adar would answer. The prince prayed to the Valar that he would do so this time. But something in his heart told him that he would not.
"Adar? I need to speak with you."
The prince waited only a moment before trying the handle. To his surprise the door was unlocked, and it swung open softly.
A fire burned in the fireplace casting shadows in the room. The curtains were drawn tight over the window, something that his adar never did. For he had once told Kélion that he could not sleep unless he could see the stars sparkling in all their pure beauty above arda. But what drew his attention first were the empty wine bottles that littered the normally neat and tidy desk. Kélion walked over and picked one of them up. It took only a second for him to smell that this was some of the most potent wine in all the kingdom. Had his adar really drank so much?
"Thranduil?"
Thalion's voice cut through the stillness of the room, causing the prince to look over towards the king's bedchambers. The door was wide open and what he saw froze his heart in his chest.
As soon as they had walked in through the door to the king's rooms, Êmand had immediately been able to smell the aromatic aroma of strong wine. He had known Thranduil to have a love for the intoxicating drink but judging by the number of empty bottles on the desk the Sinda had not just been enjoying an evening sip. Êmand had witnessed this behavior from the king several times before when the elf had wanted to drown out his feelings. Only it rarely ever worked. Over his lifetime Thranduil had developed a strong resistance to even the most powerful wine in the Greenwood.
But the Silvan could not bring himself to blame the elven king for trying. After all the king had now lost not only his wife, but now also his son. Legolas. The name crawled at Êmand making his throat tight. He had been tasked with mentoring and guarding the young prince since the day of his birth almost 600 years ago. Now all of that had vanished. And even today with all the worries, he still felt himself looking around for the young Sinda. But Legolas was never there. Instead a flood of painful memories would wash over him. Without his little green leaf, it was as if a large part of him was missing. So, no he could not blame the king for wanted to drown out these feelings, for he himself desired to do the same.
"Thranduil?"
Thalion's voice brought Êmand out of his memories and caused his head to snap up. He saw the loyal Silvan elf walking over to the open door that lead to the king's bedchamber. Thranduil never left any of his door open, what had caused him to do so now? Perhaps the ellon had been too intoxicated to realize and had passed out on his bed.
Êmand began to walk over to Thalion but stopped at what he saw. Across the bedroom from the door sat the only portrait of the royal family propped up against the wall. The painting was destroyed. What looked to be sword slashed littered the delicately panted canvas making most of it unrecognizable. Young Legolas's handsome face had seemed to be where the force had been exerted the most. Horrible memories flooded Êmand. Flashes of Legolas's burned face flashed through his mind causing him to shudder. But at the same time, he was filled with anger. This had been the only image of Legolas in the palace. To him it felt as it the king had destroyed the last image of his beautiful son.
"Thranduil!"
Êmand strode into the room rage building. He would have an answer from this egotistical elf. But the room was empty. The lavish bed lay cold and barren no sign that the Sinda had even touched it. On the floor lay Thranduil's expensive outer garments, crumpled and forgotten on the rug.
"Where is he?"
The question was directed at Thalion who had ventured into the room after Êmand.
"I know not. I brought him up wine not an hour ago and knocked on his door soon after. I assumed he had retired for the night. But I had guards stationed in the halls so he could not have left or been disturbed."
Êmand ran his hand through his brown and hair before casting a desperate look at Meldir.
Several minutes later the entirety of the king's chambers had been searched for any sign of the king. Kélion himself had scoured the rest of his adar's bedchambers, horrible scenarios crossing him mind as he did so.
"He is not here," The prince heard Êmand's say to Thalion, "Nor can I find the guards who you stationed in the halls."
There was deathly silence in the room and Kélion could feel the eyes of both ellyn look over at him.
You need to return to the palace, for something evil is at work. The words of the tree rang in his ears. A traitor, betrayal. That was what he had assumed it to mean. Had he been wrong. Or had his adar been taken, kidnapped by this evil force.
Questions and dreadful throughs flooded his mind. What if that was why he had been overcome by the trees in the forest. Had his adar been killed? Was that why he now felt the weight of all the Greenwood on his shoulders? Was this why the guards could not be found? Had they taken his adar's body to dispose of it?
Despair flooded the Sinda and he let himself fall to his knees, his heart crying out at the darkness that had taken over his world. He surely would have felt something if his adar had passed on. He would not accept it. But where was his adar? Why had he been given such a connection to the woods? These thoughts battled inside of him.
However, the weight of the day and the stresses on his body became too much for the prince and fell forward onto the carpet, everything going blissfully dark and numb.
Elvish Translations:
adar – father
hîr nín – my lord
edra-si annon – open the gate now
mellon – friend
