To my faithful mellyn:
Congratulations to have made it this far! If you have than please know that I am eternally grateful to you and I hope that you enjoyed book one in the Maer Chronicles!
This chapter is a teaser chapter for the sequel which is why it is much shorter than a normal chapter.
I am forever thankful for my faithful reviewers who gave me the motivation to keep going! Nymiriel, MirkwoodmaidenAlso, silverarrow, slytherin studios, dream plane, mystarlight, jaya avendel, nariel fire, WolFSnow29, Hello_LOTR, and elvenmaia (my dearest beta!) and everyone else who reviewed.
I hope you all have enjoyed coming on this wild journey with me and will continue to do so in the future…
This book is dedicated to elvenmaia. You have blessed me greatly with your talents and encouragement! I hope that one day I can do that same :)
Neavare – for now ;)
- Scribbles
In Times of Trouble
Scribbles-on-Parchment
December 31, 2020
Chapter 75 – Invisible Sacrifices
Kélion knocked softly on the door that led into his younger brother's room. It had been almost five years since the young Sinda's disappearance and subsequent return and in that time many things were now different; yet at the same time some things remained unchanged.
Every day Legolas seemed to become more and more withdrawn and distant from the world around him. Êmand would tell the eldar Sinda of all his worries about the young prince however, when he confronted his brother about them the elfling said little. Kélion was painfully aware of the dark circles under the elfling's blue eyes and the lack of his usual liveliness and the laughter.
It was as though part of the Sinda had died after his return from the Noldor and the crown prince was growing increasingly desperate to get it back. Life was not the same as it once had been and he did not like it. All he wanted to do help Legolas be happy again and to tell him everything that he was feeling as he had once done.
Êmand's words rang in his ears like a warning bell. I want you to go and save your brother before he destroys himself completely.
The eldar let out a long sigh and knocked again on the intricately carved wooden door. If the elfling did not answer soon then he swore that he would scream in frustration. What in Eru's name was wrong with his brother? How was it that he could push everyone away and then act as though nothing were wrong?
And his adar…
His adar did not seem to care about anything anymore save wine. The once great king had never seemed to regain any of his former strength. As a consequence, in the several years that had passed, most of the responsibilities had come to rest on his head. If something did not change soon Kélion feared that he would not be able to handle the pressure that was being piled upon him.
"Muindor, if you do not come and answer the door right now then I shall open it myself and the Valar save you from my temper if it has to come to that."
There was only silence; no sound nor call could be heard within the room.
Kélion's complexion darkened considerably. This reminded him so vividly of the time he had found the elfling missing from his room after the Sinda had run away. Why in all of arda could nothing with his family ever be simple? Why did there always seem to be something going wrong every time he turned around?
"Fine, I am coming in and then you are going to explain yourself Legolas, for my patience with you is growing dangerously thin," As he spoke the crown prince began to push the door open, grateful that it was not locked, "I will not allow you to sit here in your room and deal out self-pity upon yourself. You know why Êmand got upset at you and I think that you bloody well deserved it because you have been…"
Kélion's next words died in his mouth as he stepped through the door to see light streaming into the youngest prince's chambers lighting up the disaster that was within.
The room was all but destroyed. The bedding was torn apart and laying in a great heap on the floor, the curtains on the window had been ripped off, and the ornate wardrobe was laying on its side one a large dent in its front.
In the rays of sun that streamed in the ellon caught sight of something flashing on the floor. He took a step farther into the bedchamber and saw that the mirror that had been beside the wardrobe had been smashed and now lay in glinting pieces on the floor. Several flecks of bright red blood stood out on the shards where Legolas had obviously cut his hand in the process of punching the mirror.
"What in Eru's name…"
Kélion did not know what emotion to focus on as he tried to take in the mess that had been caused by his brother's erratic temper. He felt worried about the elfling, yet also angered and extremely frustrated.
"Legolas!" The prince spun around and began to search the room in search of the young Sinda, his temper having won the war over his heart, "Where in all of bloody arda are you? You have gone too far this time and you will explain your actions not only to me but also to Êmand and our adar."
The crown prince did not hear a response but instead caught sight of golden blond hair shining the midday light and ground his teeth. There was his insufferable brother. Kélion marched across the room so that he could see the elfling who had lain hidden from his sight on the other side of the large bed. However, as he caught sight of the eldar he came to a sudden halt.
Legolas lay as deathly still on the lavish rug that covered much of the floor of his room. The eldar's golden hair lay spread out around his ghastly pale face like a halo. Yet what concerned the ellon the most were the normally bright azure eyes staring sightlessly up at the ceiling.
With a cry Kélion ran to his younger brother's fallen body and threw himself down next to the elfling. What in Eru's name was this?
The elf frantically called out to Legolas as he saw the Sinda's chest moving slowly, the only sign of life that still lingered in him.
The prince put a hand to his brother's face and felt the cold skin under his fingers and felt his heart break as he saw that all of the light in Legolas's eyes had vanished. Had it not been for the faint breath and heartbeat that he felt then Kélion would have thought the elfling already dead.
"Muindor! What is wrong? Tell me!"
But there was no movement from the elfling, no sign that he had heard the call. It was as though part of the young Sinda was no longer there having already fled his slowly failing body.
Legolas's inner light was gone…
Elvish Translations:
adar – father
muindor – brother (Sindarin)
Kélion and Legolas will return in book number 2 of the Maer Chronicles. Included below is summary (to get you all excited!):
5 long years have passed since Legolas's return to the Greenwood. Dark creatures still lurk in the shadows of the trees and attacks on the barrier continue - draining the prince's strength. When a patrol is found slain by Noldorin arrows and Legolas collapses, Kélion is forced to decide between loyalty to his King and adar or the survival of his younger brother...
The first chapter of 'In Times of Trouble' will make its debut on March 20, 2021.
And one last message (for now) for silverarrow and Hello_LOTR:
silverarrow: What a sweet and long last review! I appreciate it as always mellon nín! I am so so happy that you have enjoyed my story thus far (and I do hope you found it helpful with your English - despite all of my mistakes!). Now to answer your questions: Legolas is the only one who is now in control of the barrier (for better or worse). I am in MST (mountain standard time) So I think I am 9 hours behind you. Though I cannot tell you exactly where I live (safety first!) I can say that I reside in a small town in a valley in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado that is home to lots of cowboys, sheep, and not much else... hence the mountains for quarantine ;) There is not much else to do here but go into the mountains (which I love anyway) so ya... that is why the mountains. And fear now I was not completely alone I was with my mom and dog. Well this is already quite long so I will leave it at that! Head uut aastat! Hüvasti nüüd :)
Hello_LOTR: I enjoyed reading you review every much mellon nín! Thank you for taking the time to leave such a long one! And who knows I might just take pity on you all and update sooner if I find that I cannot wait ;) In terms of mountains... well you must go and see them sometime (not sure where you live and if that is even possible). The mountains are my favorite place to go and explore (especially since where I live you can hike for days and never see anyone but a few shepherd (yes shepherd do still exist here). Anyway it was a very nice but kind boring place to quarantine (i was at a cabin) as there is a very limited number of times you can sled before if becomes old :). But I have ranted on for too long! My apologies! To conclude: when COVID is over I think you should treat yourself to on a mountain adventure! Bye for now mellon!
