Hello mellyn nín! I hope you are all staying safe and healthy! Thank you for getting all the way to chapter 64!

For Dream Plane: Thank you so much for the review! I feel so honored that you have stuck with me for so long :) And yes Meldir is quite a good friend to Kélion. In terms of catching Rívorn... I guess we will just have to see!

For silverarrow: Your reviews are literally the best encouragement when I am having a bad week! So I am forever grateful for that! Hmm your birthday is on Christmas eve? I might just have to upload a day earlier than I way planning as celebration ;) I am so glad that you are writing a story! Please keep me updated for I would love to read it sometime if will allow me and assuming it will be in English :) Keep up the good work!

And a huge hug to elvenmaia who has stuck with me and my mediocre written for more than a year now! It has been an honor mellon nín!

Out of Mirkwood

Scribbles-on-Parchment

October 24, 2020


Chapter 64 – Accepting Aid

Legolas could feel the tension between elves growing with every passing moment. His adar's last words were hanging heavily in the air and though the young prince could not see past the ring of soldiers that stood around him, he could imagine the anger filling Estel's grey eyes.

What he desperately wanted to know was who Tamír had been to the king that the Sinda would speak with such harsh words to one of his own people? What had the ellon done to deserve such a reaction from his adar?

The young ellon glanced over at Êmand who had helped him stand and was now fussing over the throbbing wound on his shoulder. However, the Silvan's face was masked and unreadable. Legolas ground his teeth as a stab of pain shot through his shoulder at the eldar's probing. His arm had gone started to go blissfully numb, but this was prodding was taking that glorious feeling away. Êmand seemed to take notice of his young charge's discomfort and drew his hands back quickly. He was rewarded with a glare from Legolas as the elfling held his left arm closer to his body to try and stop the pain.

"What has happened that has caused you such anger towards me?" Tamír's voice carried past the line of Greenwood ellyn and to the prince's ears; even though he could not see the elf that spoke he could easily detect the hurt in his voice, "My heart has longed for many years to see this forest again, to see you again. We were friends once, were we not mellon nín?"

"Once we were, but it is long gone now," Thranduil's voice was cold and emotionless, "You say you longed to return yet not once did you ever seek to come back. Not once did you enter these woods. You abandoned your people when they needed you most so they in turn have abandoned you."

There was a loud protest from Estel at these words and Elladan cut in,

"You speak too quickly I am afraid. You must hear our side of this tale before judgments can be made."

"Quiet," The king's voice had taken on a threatening tone that stopped the older twin immediately, "I am speaking only with Tamír. When I have something to say to you, Noldo, I will address you. Do not stick your neck out for those who do not deserve it."

Legolas's inwardly flinched at his adar's tone. He had been on the receiving end of this sort of talk many times and it was not pleasant. Thankfully Tamír broke the tense silence that had fallen over the eldar.

"You must listen to me when I say that I thought you were dead. I watched you get hit in the chest by an arrow. I watched the Greenwood crumble around me before I too fell. I only survived because several elves from Imladris came. They took me to Elrond and he healed me. I had no knowledge that any you had survived, so I did not venture back in here until now. Elrond is the only reason I am still here. I owe him my life."

"Do not speak to me of that accursed Noldo. You have changed your loyalty and therefore have no more right to be here than they do."

Legolas could stand this no longer. He pushed himself out of Êmand's grasp and marched over to the elven king, frustration beginning to rise in his veins. He heard his mentor protest and try to pull him back, but he shoved the ellon away.

"Adar, what in Eru's name are you doing?"

The elven king whirled around at the sound of his youngest son's voice. As his gaze landed on the injured elfling the harsh look in his eyes visibly softened.

"Leave this to me ion nín. These are things you will not understand."

His adar moved to turn back towards Tamír.

"No," The young prince's voice was firm as he glared daggers at his adar causing the king to halt.

At once it felt as if all of the air had been sucked out of the clearing. The silence was deafening. The Greenwood elves were startled that their newly returned prince would dare to speak out against the king.

"These ellyn saved me," Legolas continued, "Had it not been for them, I would be dead right now. Do not raise your anger against them for it is greatly misplaced. If you must take your resentment out on someone, then take it out on me. It is I who rightfully deserve it."


Elladan could not believe that Legolas was standing up for them. He had thought the elfling hated them and would have never anticipated this to happen. The twin gazed at the prince and noticed that there was a great change in the Sinda. He looked older and wiser than the last time he had seen him before the battle.

"Penneth, we shall speak of this at a later time," Elladan now took notice of the change in the elven king. The eldar's face and tone of voice had softened considerably, "Do not let them bring you worry any longer."

Beside him, the Noldo could feel Estel tense. The human was clearly growing angry.

Elladan sighed inwardly. He knew that if he wanted the situation to deescalate before someone did anything foolish then he needed to speak now while Thranduil's anger was less severe. Before he could change his mind, the elder twin strode closer to the Mirkwood leader.

"King Thranduil," the Sinda turned at the sound of his voice, "We did not come here to harm you or your people. We come only to deliver your son back to you and give aid if you require it," Elladan had no idea if the ellon would believe him, but he pressed on, "Look around you hîr nín. Your soldiers are wounded and exhausted. Many have fallen or lie dying around us as we speak. Let us offer you help and healing now and discuss these points of contention at a later time. However, if it is your wish that we would leave these woods than we shall do so immediately."

Thranduil's eyes darkened.

"And tell me why I should listen to you Elrondion? Where was your adar when the Greenwood fell? Why did he not send help or offer counsel then?"

Elladan's hands clenched into fists. He was now seeing the similarities between Thranduil and Legolas. Both seemed to have the undeniable skill to drive him mad.

"But I do see the wisdom in your words," the king continued before Elladan could saying a word, "And I will accept your offer to help us with our wounded, but only on two conditions. If I sense your motive is changing you will take your ellyn and instantly leave this forest forever," Thranduil's eyes drifted to Estel, "And the edan stays well away from my men. His kind are a plague on this land; they seek to do things only for their own glory and care nothing for the welfare of others."


Legolas watched as both Noldor and Silvan elves worked side by side clearing away the yrch corpses to burn and tending to the dead and wounded eldar. About an hour or so had passed since Elladan had agreed with his adar's conditions. He had not been happy with the way the Sinda had spoken about Estel, but he thought better than to push his luck.

Right now, he could see the young human pacing back and forth on the other side of the clearing obviously frustrated that he was forbidden from helping in any way. Legolas wished that Êmand or his adar would let Estel come and help tend to the wounded, but he knew they would never agree to that.

The young prince too felt antsy. The king had made it very clear that he was not to leave Êmand's side nor was he allowed to move from under the great tree he now sat under. Legolas knew his adar was worried about his wounded shoulder and worried that the yrch might come back at any moment for a second attack. This was once again just another attempt to keep him out of any conflict that might arise.

The elfling doubted he would ever be allowed to fight in a battle again, let alone leave the palace when this was all over. Part of him felt content with this thought, however, a greater part of him dreaded it. He had gotten a taste for freedom and he had begun to realize now how much he relished it.

"This is going to hurt a little."

Legolas gritted his teeth at Êmand's words, and a second later pain shot through his shoulder making him groan.

"What are you doing? I thought you were going to try to take the pain away, not make it worse."

"I am sorry penneth, but I have to clean the wound before I can do anything else. We have also run low on athelas so there is nothing I can give you for the pain."

The young elf let out a soft yelp as another stab of agony raced down his arm. He looked across the clearing again to try and distract himself and saw Estel staring at him. Legolas felt his heart sink.

"Try and talk with me through the pain," Êmand's command brought him back to the present, "I do not desire to have you passing out on me and I am sure you have many things you wish to tell me."

His shoulder throbbed again as Legolas tried to think of something to say. It had only been about a week since his first encounter with the spider and there seemed so much to say that he did not even know where to start. He knew he would have to tell his mentor about it at some point, yet it did not feel right to speak of it now. Instead he chose to ask a question that had been weighing heavily on his heart,

"Why did you not come after me?"

Behind him the prince could feel the Silvan stiffen.

"We did Legolas. Your adar had the whole of the palace out scouring the forest to find you."

"What made you stop?"

There was a long pause.

"I will not lie to you penneth. We stopped searching for you because we had reason to believe that you were dead."


Estel watched the dark haired ellon clean Maer's wounded shoulder. He was growing frustrated that he was being forced to watch from the other side of the clearing while the prince was being tended to. Whatever elf was with him now had not left the Sinda's side even for a single moment. A bodyguard perhaps?

The human saw his brothers and Tamír working diligently with the wounded ellyn that were being brought to them while several paces the elven king spoke with several of his soldiers. The ellon would cast a glance over at him every now and then as if to make sure he was not interfering in any way with the Mirkwood ellyn. The man shook his head. Thranduil was more paranoid than he had thought.

As he went back to his pacing, Estel heard a sound behind him. He whirled around, hand on his sword, but he saw nothing. The forest was as still as before. Nothing moved, nothing even seemed to breath beneath the tall trees.

Estel went to turn back around thinking it was all just in his mind when he heard the sound of an arrow being released. Acting on pure instinct he flung himself onto the ground. As he fell gracelessly into the dirt he felt an arrow brush past the top of his head.


Elvish Translations:

adar – father

mellon nín – my friend

ion nín – my son

penneth – young one

hîr nín – my lord

yrch – orcs

maer - golden