Disclaimer: LOTR belongs to the creative genius of JRR Tolkien, not me.
My Friend, My Brother
Chapter 2. Where Is The King?
Thranduil found the study of inventories to be terribly tedious, but a necessary evil to be dispensed with as soon as possible so he resumed his perusal of the wine invoices. The smile he still wore at the thought of Elrond's foster son up a tree turned quickly to a frown as someone knocked on the door.
"Enter!" He called, annoyed at this second interruption to his work.
"Your Majesty, do not forget your 'appointment' this afternoon, the message was very specific about the time." His Steward reminded him, as was his duty.
"I have not forgotten," Thranduil said tersely, grabbing at the papers that a sudden gust of wind blew from his desk. He looked distastefully out of his open window at the darkening sky and saw storm clouds quickly gathering. "I do not relish the prospect of travelling in weather such as this. I hope that Mithrandir has news worthy of the secret rendezvous he has requested." Like all Elves, the rain did not bother him, but he had become accustomed to the comfort of his fireplace during the fierce storms which occasionally rolled in from the mountains in the north.
"I am sure his message is important, Your Majesty," came the confidant reply. Thranduil snorted,
"That Istari keeps his own agenda, and his thoughts to himself, as a rule. He hinted in his message that he has some news about the strange happenings around Dol Guldur, but I do not know why he cannot come here to tell me."
"I am sure he has good reason. What time shall I inform your guards to be ready?"
"Guards will not be necessary." Said the King as he held his hand up to silence the protest the Steward was about to make. "I shall be perfectly safe, the meeting place is not far and I have a mind to spend some time alone in my Woods."
Later that day a lone figure, dressed in the simple green and brown travelling garb of a Mirkwood Elf and armed with his favourite bow, headed out of the palace and into the trees towards his destination. Thranduil moved swiftly, hoping to find shelter there for the air was filled with the smell of rain, heralding the storm that was quickly approaching. Underestimating the time it would take, he did not reach the shelter before the rain started falling. Thranduil found the splash of cold raindrops on his face to be very refreshing and he was enjoying the feel of the wind whipping his golden hair in all directions reminding him of the beauty of the natural world. Although the stone halls of his palace provided protection from his enemies, he realised how much he missed the freedom of the forest and the voices of the trees. Rather than continue on to seek shelter in the caves near the Enchanted River, as he had intended, he found a tree with foliage that was dense enough to keep off most of the rain and settled next to the trunk to wait out the storm.
********
Legolas lead the way as he and Aragorn attempted to catch up with Thranduil, whom they had seen far in the distance. He had disappeared amongst the trees and they were having a difficult time finding some trace of his movements. Legolas and Aragorn had gone on several spider hunts together in the past few weeks, and the Elf was well aware of the tracking skills his friend possessed, but he cold not help but be amused by the human's attempt to track a Wood Elf as experienced as his father, for such a task was beyond even his own elvish woodcraft.
"We know he was headed in a southerly direction." Aragorn said as he continued to search unsuccessfully for any kind of track. Elves left the faintest footprints and there was not even a single leaf out of place at least as far as Aragorn could see. He looked to Legolas for help. "Can you sense where he is?"
"Through the bond I spoke of, you mean?" Aragorn nodded in affirmation. "No, I can only recognise his presence, not his location," replied Legolas looking with some concern at the storm-darkened sky. A fierce wind whipped through the trees and there was a brilliant flash of lightning, followed quickly by a crash of thunder. The rain began to fall heavily, the cold water forcing its way between the leaves on the branches above, attempting to soak them both. Fortunately their cloaks were made of a lightweight material woven by Elves, which afforded good protection from the rain. "I fear we have little chance of finding Father now, for any trace he might have left is sure to be washed away by the rain. Perhaps we should just return to the palace?" Legolas reluctantly suggested.
"No, " said Aragorn for he could see that the Elf was still concerned for his father's safety, there were all kinds of dangerous creatures in the Mirkwood. "We know the general direction he took so let us continue forward, we are going to get drenched no matter which way we choose to go. Is there some place nearby where he might seek shelter from the storm?" Legolas thought for a moment, then smiled radiantly.
"There are some caves near the Enchanted River, not far from here." He suggested as another flash of lightning lit the forest with a brilliant white light. He could hear the boughs of the trees creaking in protest as the wind shook them mercilessly.
"That sounds a likely place to start. Let us make haste," Aragorn said indicating for Legolas to lead the way, "I will be glad to be out of this wind and rain."
*******
Elation turned rapidly to disappointment when they reached the cave for it was occupied, not by Thranduil but the Istari known to the Elves of Mirkwood as Mithrandir. He was sitting in front of a small fire, smoking a pipe and smiled as he recognised the young Elf.
"Legolas, it is good to see you, my young friend." Mithrandir said, all the while staring at Aragorn. " But I do not believe I have met your companion."
"Greetings, Mithrandir." Legolas replied bowing politely. "This is Aragorn, a foster son to Lord Elrond."
"Aragorn, eh? Hmmm, most interesting." He said mysteriously, "I have heard of much about you from Lord Elrond. I had intended to visit Rivendell to meet you, but you always seem to be off with your Rangers or those Twins of Elrond's. What brings you to Mirkwood?"
"Lord Elrond suggested I spend some time amongst the Wood Elves, learning of their ways and improving my woodcrafts." Aragorn replied. "I am pleased to meet you, Mithrandir, for I have heard Lord Elrond speak of you on many occasions."
"And Prince Legolas here is your tutor?" Mithrandir surmised nodding to himself, thinking 'So Thranduil has taken my advice. Excellent!' "Well, you could not have found better, in my opinion."
"What brings you to Mirkwood?" It was Legolas' turn to be curious.
"Just passing through on my travels," the Istari replied innocently. "I was also hoping to meet with Thranduil, for I have much to tell him."
Aragorn and Legolas looked at each other then turned their eyes towards Mithrandir.
"So that is why Father was alone in the Woods, he was expecting to meet you?" Legolas asked.
"Yes," he replied. "By the way, where is Thranduil? He was supposed to meet me here this afternoon." The choice of location for a meeting with his father did not really surprise Legolas for Mithrandir was well known for secretive and often unfathomable behaviour.
"We saw him just before the storm started and Legolas thought he might have come here seeking shelter." Aragorn said. "Obviously that is not the case."
"Well, I am sure he has found a suitable place in which to weather the storm. As soon as it stops raining, we will go and find him." Mithrandir promised as he settled back down next to the fire, lighting his pipe and blowing creative smoke rings into the air. Aragorn lit his pipe and joined him. Legolas went and sat near the mouth of the cave for he disliked the smoke intensely. He sang quietly to himself as he waited for the storm to break so they could resume the search for his father.
My Friend, My Brother
Chapter 2. Where Is The King?
Thranduil found the study of inventories to be terribly tedious, but a necessary evil to be dispensed with as soon as possible so he resumed his perusal of the wine invoices. The smile he still wore at the thought of Elrond's foster son up a tree turned quickly to a frown as someone knocked on the door.
"Enter!" He called, annoyed at this second interruption to his work.
"Your Majesty, do not forget your 'appointment' this afternoon, the message was very specific about the time." His Steward reminded him, as was his duty.
"I have not forgotten," Thranduil said tersely, grabbing at the papers that a sudden gust of wind blew from his desk. He looked distastefully out of his open window at the darkening sky and saw storm clouds quickly gathering. "I do not relish the prospect of travelling in weather such as this. I hope that Mithrandir has news worthy of the secret rendezvous he has requested." Like all Elves, the rain did not bother him, but he had become accustomed to the comfort of his fireplace during the fierce storms which occasionally rolled in from the mountains in the north.
"I am sure his message is important, Your Majesty," came the confidant reply. Thranduil snorted,
"That Istari keeps his own agenda, and his thoughts to himself, as a rule. He hinted in his message that he has some news about the strange happenings around Dol Guldur, but I do not know why he cannot come here to tell me."
"I am sure he has good reason. What time shall I inform your guards to be ready?"
"Guards will not be necessary." Said the King as he held his hand up to silence the protest the Steward was about to make. "I shall be perfectly safe, the meeting place is not far and I have a mind to spend some time alone in my Woods."
Later that day a lone figure, dressed in the simple green and brown travelling garb of a Mirkwood Elf and armed with his favourite bow, headed out of the palace and into the trees towards his destination. Thranduil moved swiftly, hoping to find shelter there for the air was filled with the smell of rain, heralding the storm that was quickly approaching. Underestimating the time it would take, he did not reach the shelter before the rain started falling. Thranduil found the splash of cold raindrops on his face to be very refreshing and he was enjoying the feel of the wind whipping his golden hair in all directions reminding him of the beauty of the natural world. Although the stone halls of his palace provided protection from his enemies, he realised how much he missed the freedom of the forest and the voices of the trees. Rather than continue on to seek shelter in the caves near the Enchanted River, as he had intended, he found a tree with foliage that was dense enough to keep off most of the rain and settled next to the trunk to wait out the storm.
********
Legolas lead the way as he and Aragorn attempted to catch up with Thranduil, whom they had seen far in the distance. He had disappeared amongst the trees and they were having a difficult time finding some trace of his movements. Legolas and Aragorn had gone on several spider hunts together in the past few weeks, and the Elf was well aware of the tracking skills his friend possessed, but he cold not help but be amused by the human's attempt to track a Wood Elf as experienced as his father, for such a task was beyond even his own elvish woodcraft.
"We know he was headed in a southerly direction." Aragorn said as he continued to search unsuccessfully for any kind of track. Elves left the faintest footprints and there was not even a single leaf out of place at least as far as Aragorn could see. He looked to Legolas for help. "Can you sense where he is?"
"Through the bond I spoke of, you mean?" Aragorn nodded in affirmation. "No, I can only recognise his presence, not his location," replied Legolas looking with some concern at the storm-darkened sky. A fierce wind whipped through the trees and there was a brilliant flash of lightning, followed quickly by a crash of thunder. The rain began to fall heavily, the cold water forcing its way between the leaves on the branches above, attempting to soak them both. Fortunately their cloaks were made of a lightweight material woven by Elves, which afforded good protection from the rain. "I fear we have little chance of finding Father now, for any trace he might have left is sure to be washed away by the rain. Perhaps we should just return to the palace?" Legolas reluctantly suggested.
"No, " said Aragorn for he could see that the Elf was still concerned for his father's safety, there were all kinds of dangerous creatures in the Mirkwood. "We know the general direction he took so let us continue forward, we are going to get drenched no matter which way we choose to go. Is there some place nearby where he might seek shelter from the storm?" Legolas thought for a moment, then smiled radiantly.
"There are some caves near the Enchanted River, not far from here." He suggested as another flash of lightning lit the forest with a brilliant white light. He could hear the boughs of the trees creaking in protest as the wind shook them mercilessly.
"That sounds a likely place to start. Let us make haste," Aragorn said indicating for Legolas to lead the way, "I will be glad to be out of this wind and rain."
*******
Elation turned rapidly to disappointment when they reached the cave for it was occupied, not by Thranduil but the Istari known to the Elves of Mirkwood as Mithrandir. He was sitting in front of a small fire, smoking a pipe and smiled as he recognised the young Elf.
"Legolas, it is good to see you, my young friend." Mithrandir said, all the while staring at Aragorn. " But I do not believe I have met your companion."
"Greetings, Mithrandir." Legolas replied bowing politely. "This is Aragorn, a foster son to Lord Elrond."
"Aragorn, eh? Hmmm, most interesting." He said mysteriously, "I have heard of much about you from Lord Elrond. I had intended to visit Rivendell to meet you, but you always seem to be off with your Rangers or those Twins of Elrond's. What brings you to Mirkwood?"
"Lord Elrond suggested I spend some time amongst the Wood Elves, learning of their ways and improving my woodcrafts." Aragorn replied. "I am pleased to meet you, Mithrandir, for I have heard Lord Elrond speak of you on many occasions."
"And Prince Legolas here is your tutor?" Mithrandir surmised nodding to himself, thinking 'So Thranduil has taken my advice. Excellent!' "Well, you could not have found better, in my opinion."
"What brings you to Mirkwood?" It was Legolas' turn to be curious.
"Just passing through on my travels," the Istari replied innocently. "I was also hoping to meet with Thranduil, for I have much to tell him."
Aragorn and Legolas looked at each other then turned their eyes towards Mithrandir.
"So that is why Father was alone in the Woods, he was expecting to meet you?" Legolas asked.
"Yes," he replied. "By the way, where is Thranduil? He was supposed to meet me here this afternoon." The choice of location for a meeting with his father did not really surprise Legolas for Mithrandir was well known for secretive and often unfathomable behaviour.
"We saw him just before the storm started and Legolas thought he might have come here seeking shelter." Aragorn said. "Obviously that is not the case."
"Well, I am sure he has found a suitable place in which to weather the storm. As soon as it stops raining, we will go and find him." Mithrandir promised as he settled back down next to the fire, lighting his pipe and blowing creative smoke rings into the air. Aragorn lit his pipe and joined him. Legolas went and sat near the mouth of the cave for he disliked the smoke intensely. He sang quietly to himself as he waited for the storm to break so they could resume the search for his father.