Disclaimer: I own nothing Tolkien created.

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Mirkwood's Plague II:

Aftermath

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Chapter 10 ~ The Terrible Truth

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When Glorfindel entered Legolas' chambers, the prince was sat on the couch, staring blankly at the dying fire. He had dressed himself but Glorfindel noticed that they were oddly matched black clothes – obviously the first appropriate thing he had found in his closet.

"Legolas?" Glorfindel asked when Legolas didn't as much as glance up upon his entrance.

The prince seemed startled at the voice and looked up sharply. "Glorfindel."

"I didn't mean to disturb you. Aragorn said you asked for me."

"Yes." Legolas stood up slowly as if it took a lot of effort to perform this simple action. "I want to see my father," he said, his voice stronger than he himself appeared to be.

"Of course." The prince nodded and went to walk to the door but Glorfindel blocked his way and placed his hands on his arms. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I am sure," Legolas said with blatant doubt.

"Alright," Glorfindel said quietly. "He's in the main healing hall."

Legolas took a deep breath and moved past Glorfindel to open the door. The disease that had ravaged Mirkwood now proved to be somewhat of a blessing in that it meant the corridors were deserted, meaning Legolas didn't have to answer any awkward questions or hide the blatant terror on his face and the trembling he couldn't stop at the prospect of what he was about to face. Glorfindel walked the traditional two paces behind him, although his sharp eyes never left the prince.

Their luck ran out when Legolas turned the corner to the healing halls. He quickly stepped back, hiding behind the wall. He wasn't looking where he was going and nearly fell into Glorfindel.

"Your Highness?" the seneschal asked, looking in concern at Legolas.

It took a couple of seconds for Legolas to find the words. "There are people around there," he explained quietly.

Glorfindel peered around the wall to find about fifteen guards and healers standing outside the healing room in which the king was laid out. Of course, Glorfindel should have guessed people would still be hanging around.

"Glorfindel, get rid of them, please. I can't deal with them right now. I just want to see my father," Legolas said, his voice low but urgent, tears swimming in his eyes.

"Alright, alright. I'll sort this out. Just wait here," Glorfindel assured calmly. The captain strode down the corridor and approached the rabble. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said confidently, attracting everyone's attention. "I know that you all want to stay with your king but you have other places to be and duties to perform."

"Sir, we'd prefer to stay here," a healer said.

"We stay with our king," a guard agreed, standing straight to attention.

Glorfindel smiled slightly at their well-meant words. "Your loyalty is admirable but Prince Legolas wishes to sit with the king. Let us allow him to do that in peace," Glorfindel reasoned softly, hoping they would understand.

All looked around, trying to see the prince but Legolas remained hidden around the corner. "Where is he? We wish to offer our condolences," another guard said to the seneschal.

"Now is not the time for that."

"But he's our prince…"

Glorfindel sighed, moving closer to the group. "To Legolas it is not the king lying in there, it is his father. The time will come for you all to offer your condolences but it is not now. Just give him a few minutes alone with his father. Please."

The captain's speech seemed to stir something within the gathered people and they began to disperse, muttering to each other. "Thank you," the seneschal said gently, waiting until they were all out of sight before going around the corner. "All clear," he assured the nervous Legolas.

The prince nodded and walked with Glorfindel to the healing room. The door was closed but as Legolas reached for the handle Glorfindel placed his hand on top of Legolas' to stop him.

"Before you go in I have to tell you…his body is not in the best condition. You won't recognise his face, it has been badly mutilated and there are many wounds all over his body. He has been cleaned up and prepared for your viewing of course but…"

"Why are you telling me this?" Legolas asked in a small voice, tears falling down his face as he looked up at Glorfindel.

"Because I don't want you to go in there unprepared, mellon nin."

Legolas looked into truthful eyes for a moment before nodding. "Will you come with me?" he asked apprehensively.

"Of course," Glorfindel smiled reassuringly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze before letting go.

Taking a deep breath, Legolas opened the door and stepped inside. His eyes were immediately drawn to the bed on which a figure draped in a white sheet was lying. He slowly walked over to the bed whilst Glorfindel hung back and closed the door behind them. When Legolas stepped up to the bed he reached out to lift the sheet with badly shaking hands. Even though Glorfindel had warned him, Legolas nearly collapsed to the floor in shock when he folded the sheet down. People could have stood there all day telling him what to expect and it still wouldn't have lessened the blow. It was true that the king was barely recognisable, his face horribly slashed. There was a large knife wound on his chest which had been rather roughly sewn up and the king's right index finger had been cut off, leaving only a bloody stump in its place.

Despite taking deep breaths, Legolas found his head swimming and he swayed slightly on the spot. Straight away he felt Glorfindel's firm, supportive hands on his shoulders, steadying him. Instinctively, he leaned back against the captain, his hand going to his mouth as his eyes found the large slit across the king's throat. He stared wide-eyed at the lifeless body – or what remained of it – now barely registering the fact that Glorfindel was practically holding him up.

Vaguely, he heard Glorfindel asking, "Do you want to sit down?" He found he couldn't answer though. A large lump in his throat made it so he could hardly breathe let alone speak. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the body. "Legolas? Are you alright?" Glorfindel whispered, tightening his grip on the prince's shoulders. "Legolas?" The younger Elf nodded dumbly. Tears were in his eyes but he was too shocked to let them fall.

A knock at the door startled Glorfindel but Legolas didn't appear to notice and the seneschal ignored it, not even bothering to tell whoever it was to go away. He could feel Legolas trembling violently beneath his hands and worried that the prince would just fall apart should he remove his support. His wish that the visitor would go away was dashed when the door quietly clicked open. Glorfindel looked around and saw Arwen standing in the doorway.

"Forgive me, I didn't realise…" she said softly, closing the door behind her after stepping into the room. "Father asked me to find you, Glorfindel. There was trouble in the Great Hall earlier and he wanted…"

"Not now Arwen," Glorfindel said softly.

"Of course. I'm sorry." She walked forwards so she was stood beside her friend. Glorfindel was about to speak again but she got there first, her eyes firmly avoiding the king's body. "Legolas, mellon nin, I'm so sorry," she said softly, placing her hand on Legolas' shaking arm. "I'm so sorry."

Legolas didn't appear to even notice her though. His eyes once more raked over his father's body, coming to rest once more on his father's mutilated face. It suddenly seemed to dawn on him what he was looking at. This wasn't just a random person, someone unconnected to him. This was his father and yet it wasn't. This was a corpse, a shell of the person he had once been. A terribly mutilated shell. For all his trying to disconnect himself, it suddenly hit Legolas that this corpse was his father.

He let out a half-gasp, half-sob and almost collapsed against Glorfindel. The blonde easily caught him though. "It's alright," he said kindly. Arwen also walked forwards, hugging Legolas tightly.

"Please don't," he said so quietly Arwen could barely hear him but she immediately backed off.

"Maybe I should wait outside," Arwen said softly to Glorfindel and the seneschal nodded. "I'll tell father where you are."

"Thank you," Glorfindel whispered, holding Legolas up. Arwen quickly left them alone, not wanting to get in the way anymore. "Alright, I've got you, mellon nin. Let's sit you down."

Glorfindel led Legolas over to a chair, practically holding him up. Legolas though couldn't tear his eyes away from Thranduil. "His ring," he managed to choke out.

"Don't look," Glorfindel said softly, reaching over and whipping the sheet back over Thranduil and hiding the distressing sight from Legolas.

Legolas almost collapsed against him again and Glorfindel caught him in strong arms. Surprisingly, Legolas roughly pushed him away, raising his hand to his mouth. "I'm going to be sick," he mumbled, stumbling to the bathroom and throwing up into the basin; hardly a surprising reaction to the sight of his father. For a minute, Glorfindel hung back, not wanting to crowd his friend but when Legolas sank to the floor he dashed in and caught the now sobbing prince. He carefully lowered him to the ground, enveloping him in strong arms and holding him close.

"It's alright, I've got you," Glorfindel soothed kindly, holding onto the crying prince. Legolas twisted around so he could bury his face in Glorfindel's robes. They sat there on the cold floor for over an hour, Legolas crying noisily onto the person he trusted more than anyone else.

"Glorfindel," Elrond's voice sounded from the door. The captain looked up from his charge. "Are you alright?"

"We're fine," he answered softly, looking pointedly down at Legolas, who was now lying silently in the seneschal's arms.

"Perhaps we should get him somewhere warm. This floor is freezing," Elrond suggested and Glorfindel nodded as he felt Legolas shivering against him. "Legolas, can you stand?" the healer asked.

Unsurprisingly, Legolas didn't answer. "I can manage," Glorfindel said, carefully pulling back from Legolas a little and easily lifting him into his arms. Legolas just lay limply in his embrace, his face buried in the seneschal's blue formal robes. When Glorfindel carried him out into the bedroom, Legolas lifted his head to look at the now covered up body of his father. "Don't look," Glorfindel whispered and Legolas followed his instruction, replacing his head on Glorfindel's chest and wrapping his arm around the other Elf for support.

Thankfully, the corridor remained free of guards and healers, although Glorfindel saw Aragorn, Gimli and the Hobbits lurking around the corner. They didn't approach for which Glorfindel was very grateful. The last thing Legolas needed was a crowd of people around him.

Elrond opened all the doors as Glorfindel carried Legolas back to the safety of his rooms. Once inside, the healer went straight over to the fire whilst Glorfindel carefully placed his charge on the bed. He prised Legolas' arms from around his back so the prince could lie flat. Immediately, Legolas turned onto his side away from Glorfindel. The seneschal placed his hand on Legolas' back to find him trembling slightly and he knew the prince was crying into his pillow. Not knowing what to say, Glorfindel merely sat back in his chair, giving Legolas his space for now and yet near-by should he be needed.

"Glorfindel," Elrond whispered from the doorway. The captain stood and walked over to Elrond so they could speak without disturbing Legolas. "I think the fewer people around right now the better. I'll go and make some soothing tea for Legolas if you're willing to stay here."

"Of course," Glorfindel said, surprised that Elrond would think anything less of him.

"I'll leave you two alone then."

Glorfindel nodded and Elrond left silently, leaving the two Elves alone. Legolas was still crying into his pillow, not having even noticed Elrond's exit. Glorfindel sat down on the bed, placing his hand on Legolas' shoulder again.

"Come, mellon nin. We need to get you out of those clothes and into bed," the seneschal said softly. Legolas just mumbled something that sounded like 'Ada' but didn't move from his position. "Come on," the captain urged, prompting Legolas to sit up slowly. "Here, let me help," he said softly, unbuttoning Legolas' robe and tunic. He left Legolas to pull his clothes off slowly whilst he retrieved a nightgown from the chest of drawers. He helped Legolas stand and pulled the robe over his head whilst Legolas just stood passively. "Lie back down," Glorfindel whispered, sitting the prince down on the bed.

Slowly, Legolas lay down and Glorfindel pulled the sheets up over him. He sat down next to the prince, stroking his hair back.

"What am I going to do, Glorfindel?" Legolas asked hoarsely, looking with imploring eyes up at the seneschal.

"Shhh, don't think about that now. Just try to sleep."

Legolas shook his head. "I can't."

Glorfindel knew it would be pointless to argue so he just nodded. "Alright, mellon nin. Just lie here and rest then."

"I don't want to just lie here," Legolas said, looking up and trying to struggle into a sitting position. "I don't want to have to…think about it. I don't want to think about…my father. I have to do something, Glorfindel. Please."

"No. No, you have to stay put, you're not well," Glorfindel answered, gently pushing the prince back down. "Don't exert yourself. You've had a massive shock." Giving in, Legolas lay back down, wiping tears from his face. "Come, you cannot torture yourself over this." He laid back and wrapped his arms around the prince and Legolas cried against him, holding tightly onto his robes as he sobbed. When the noise had died down, Glorfindel reached across for the book on Legolas' bedside table, barely touched by the prince. "How about I read to you for a while, help take your mind off things? Then you can try and sleep." Legolas nodded wearily against him so Glorfindel opened the book at the beginning and started reading in soft, melodic tones.

After a while Legolas relaxed against him. Glorfindel didn't stop his commentary, not even when Elrond entered with a steaming mug of tea and promptly left again. An hour or so later Legolas was breathing deeply, indicating that he had finally fallen asleep and Glorfindel stopped reading. He tucked a blanket around Legolas with his free hand and closed his eyes. For the first time in many years, Glorfindel prayed silently to the Valar for Legolas' safety and for the king's safe passage into the emptiness of Mandos' Halls. He would have given anything for Thranduil to be able to return to this life, as he himself had done all those years ago but such things were not commonplace and it would be foolish and unkind to propose the possibility to Legolas – to give him false hope – as Glorfindel longed to do. The Valar would not heed his prayer for Thranduil's return, of that Glorfindel was certain but for Legolas' safety they may be more obliging.

Translations

Mellon nin – My friend

Ada – Dad

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