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A Red Dawn

"A red dawn has risen, blood has been shed this night. What happened?" inquired Thranduil sharply, turning from the scarlet sun, towards his kneeling son. "You are covered in the dark, foul blood of the yrch. What happened?"

Legolas bowed his head, his matted hair, shadowing his face. "We allowed Smeagol to climb the trees, as usual, yesterday, but he refused to return to the ground for many an hour. In the end, I set guards to watch him, when the hour grew late. At midnight, a band of orcs sprang upon the guards, unnoticed, until their attack. They killed all the guards, and freed the prisoner. Trackers have been set, but Smeagol has not been found yet."

"Is this all?" asked the King, with obvious displeasure.

Legolas, head still bowed, shook his head slowly.

"What else is there?" demanded Thranduil in a thunderous voice.

His son lowered his head even more, hiding the stream of tears traveling down his cheeks. "Sister, Ithilwen, she." he began, but faltered.

Hearing the name of his daughter, Thranduil grew worried. "What?"

"She, she." the prince began again once more, but failed.

"Can you not speak today? What has happened to your sister?" shouted Thranduil in exasperation.

Weakly, Legolas raised his head and turned toward the grand oak doors. He waved his hand toward Celebfindel, signaling for the guards to bring something. Celebfindel nodded and waved to the guards.

Four elves entered, carrying a long stretcher, with a limp figure on it. They set it down upon the marble floor and bowed themselves out of the room.

Thranduil strode over to the stretcher nervously, afraid of what he might see. Yet he did see it, he saw what he had only dreamed of in his worst nightmares. His sole daughter lay lifelessly maimed and bloodied on the floor of his halls. He knelt besides her, placing a trembling hand to her cold cheek. His shoulders shook and his tears fell on Ithilwen's body.

Legolas fell into tears again as he saw his father weep. Why? he questioned again in his mind, Why? His only sister was lost, because of him. The prisoner was lost, because of him. He had destroyed the trust that his father had in him. He had destroyed the trust that Middle Earth had in the elves of Mirkwood.

As if reading his son's thoughts, Thranduil spoke. "Do you know of the trouble you've caused in this one night? You've lost the prisoner that endangers Middle Earth. You've lost the trust that Middle Earth had in you. Do you know?"

"And I've murdered my sister," he murmured.

Thranduil did not answer, he turned back to Ithilwen, shoulders trembling once again.

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