Chapter Nine
Thranduil sent Elrond the depressing news and felt ready to give up just as his son had. Within the week, Elrond's reply arrived.
. . .We cannot give up on him yet. There is always hope. Perhaps if we get him to Galadriel. She would know what to do. I am afraid, though, we do not have time for that. Come to Rivendell. We must speak face to face.
The Mirkwood king scribbled a reply and sent it off on his hawk. Then went about making plans.
~~~
Dawn arrived and the group of fifteen guards stood ready to depart. They waited patiently while their king finished making arrangements.
Thranduil's first assistant was left in charge. After making sure everything was prepared, he made his way up to his son's quarters.
He was surprised to find his son sleeping. Standing over his bed, he looked into his dream filled eyes.
"Live well, my son. I shall miss you. It was good while it lasted, but I am sorry it ended this way. Tell your mother I love her more with each passing day." Tears welled up in his eyes. He tried to blink them away and leaned down to place a kiss on Legolas' forehead. "Namaarie. Cormamin niuve tenna' tae lea lle au'. Aa' menle nauva calen ar'ta hwestae' ale'quenle. (Farewell. My heart shall weep until it sees thee again. May thy paths be green and the breeze on thy back)."
(A/N: Do not think this perverted. This is father-son love not gay love, sorry.)
Tearing himself away, he left the room and softly shut the door. He turned to meet Eyroth, his first assistant, and his sympathetic look.
"I am sorry, My Lord."
"Yes, I am also. Will you," he paused and turned away.
"Yes, My Lord?"
The king took a deep breath. "If he continues living in this state," a sob caught in his throat. "Let him go."
"My Lord?"
"Yes. Let his journey on. I'd rather he leave Middle-earth than die." He lost his composure and put a hand to his face. After taking a deep breath, he turned back to Eyroth and said in a whisper that only elves could hear, "They are all leaving me."
He stared back at him. His assistant seemed to not know what to say. "I am truly sorry, My Lord," he whispered, but the king saw the sincerity.
Thranduil swallowed and stood straighter. "Keep all in order, will you? Notify me if something occurs."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Good, I will return in a few weeks." He turned and started walking down the hall.
'He is hurting,' Eyroth thought as he watched him go.
"Eyroth?" The king interrupted his thoughts. "Please may Legolas parting go relatively unnoticed. I do not want the entire forest seeing him in his state. For his own good you understand."
"Yes of course."
"Thank you." He disappeared around a corner.
'We all thought losing his wife was hard. This will be worse. He will surely fall. Oh, Valar, be with him.'
~~~
The journey went smoothly and only encountered a few hungry spiders, which were quickly taken care of with no serious injuries on the elves part. Thranduil was silent for virtually the entire trip. The guards sympathized with him, but left him alone.
Elrond greeted him with a slight smile, compassionate eyes, a warm embrace and the words, "Good eve, my friend. Do not grieve. We will get him through this.
Thranduil pulled away, fighting the emotions dwelling within him. "I am afraid it is too late. I told my assistant to ready a company to journey west with him if he worsens or continues living at this state. When I visit him as he sleeps, I feel as though I am at his funeral. His elven beauty has deceased and his eyes show only pain and misery. He looks more dreadful when I left than when I last spoke with you."
'Like son, like father,' Elrond thought as he looked the Mirkwood king over. "Come, we have a plan to concoct."
~~~
Their meeting had gotten them nowhere. The foreign king had already given up the potential that his son would live. Elrond was afraid he would journey west to the undying lands with his son.
Lord Elrond sat in his study with his head in his hands. If Thranduil and his heir left Middle-earth, Mirkwood would surely fall into shadow completely. Elrond couldn't rule both forests and could not bring all the Mirkwood people to Rivendell. 'What am I to do?'
He had to find away to get Legolas out of his current emotional statue. But how? There is little chance of the girl still being alive. Even if she is, Mordor is gaining strength and the elves would never prepare for such a battle. And a battle for a child not even of this world? 'I doubt many elves would die for that cause. . .'
There was no solution. He could not get Thranduil out of his state like he did when his wife left. Then, he had shown the king that he still had his son and people to protect. Now, his people weren't going to save him. Not since going to shadow.
If the Mirkwood people left Middle-earth, that would be the start of the end of the elves.
"Ah, Elbereth, and it would be my fault."
~~~
Lord Elrond heard Thranduil enter just as he was signing the letter. "Ah, Thranduil, thank you for joining me so early this morning." He glanced up and almost flinched when he saw the king. 'If he looks like this I would hate to imagine what his son looks like.'
"Anytime, Lord Elrond---"
"Please. Eliminate the formalities here. This is not business, it is personal."
"Yes, of course. If you would not mind, I would like to return when the next sun rises.
Elrond felt like sinking in his chair. "So soon?"
"Yes, I am most gracious for your hospitality and willingness to assist me in trying to revive my son, but I am afraid the pain is much too hard for him to bear with much longer. I wish to return and see him off while I still have that chance."
"I understand." Elrond nodded in approval as he folded the letter, placed it in an envelope, and sealed it. "I will have your companions notified and readied." He handed the letter to the messenger patiently waiting on his right. "Urgent," he whispered and the elf bowed and sped off. Turning his attention back to Thranduil he caught the last of what he was saying.
". . .have already taken care of everything. You have done more than enough for me already-which I endlessly thank you for---"
"Thranduil," Elrond paused as he stood and made his way toward the king. "Thank yous are not needed and my duty is not finished. Do not give up hope. Hope is always abandoned too soon."
"No, Lord Elrond. Hope had abandoned me. There is nothing left for me here. I-and Middle-earth-is better off with me vanished. If there are no other issues to discuss, I request my leave."
Elrond stared into the wood elf's eyes and saw the seriousness in his thoughts. He sighed, saying, "Yes. Ready for your journey. Travel swiftly and safely if I do not see you again." He continued looking into his eyes until Thranduil turned and slipped through the doors of Elrond's study.
"Hope never abandons."
~~~
A/N: Thank you all. I appreciate your reviews. Please! I need some constructive criticism! I thrive on it. How am I doing? Yell at me if you really want for not posting in like two weeks. The next chapter will be up sooner I hope!
Silver Starlight: You all know he's going to find Kama? Hmm. . .interesting. Does anyone else feel this way?
Zoya: Thank you and I am really sorry this took so long! I just couldn't find the time to type it!
Dragonlady: Yes indeed it is a different side of Legolas.
Elven Frog: You must post soon! If I ever get chapter ten and eleven done I can finally tell people about your fanfic. But I can't now because your story will ruin what is to come in mine right now! I will tell them all in due time. Hopefully sooner versus later.
Faerie-Elf: What is your overly active imagination telling you? And again I am TRULY sorry for not posting in so long. I feel horrible and I literally couldn't sleep. I'd be up trying to get everything else done so I could write this later. Yes, I'd be up at four in the morning. I think I'm pretty close to being grounded because of it because I keep waking my mom up.
Little-lost-one: He is not mortal. His mind is playing games with him. He is near death so his body is breaking down and well, turning mortal in a sense. This will be cleared up in later chapters.
x-silver-saffire-x: Yes, as I told little-lost-one he is not mortal. I will have this detail cleared up in later chapters. In fact, I will try my best to fit it in the next chapter because readers seem to want to know. And I'm sorry about the fluffy. It's all Chelsea's fault..don't ask.
Itarilde: Alright at least someone likes the angsty turn. I am glad you will be back to check on this chapter. Sorry it took so long :(. Let me know what you think!
Thank you to all my other reviewers!
Thranduil sent Elrond the depressing news and felt ready to give up just as his son had. Within the week, Elrond's reply arrived.
. . .We cannot give up on him yet. There is always hope. Perhaps if we get him to Galadriel. She would know what to do. I am afraid, though, we do not have time for that. Come to Rivendell. We must speak face to face.
The Mirkwood king scribbled a reply and sent it off on his hawk. Then went about making plans.
~~~
Dawn arrived and the group of fifteen guards stood ready to depart. They waited patiently while their king finished making arrangements.
Thranduil's first assistant was left in charge. After making sure everything was prepared, he made his way up to his son's quarters.
He was surprised to find his son sleeping. Standing over his bed, he looked into his dream filled eyes.
"Live well, my son. I shall miss you. It was good while it lasted, but I am sorry it ended this way. Tell your mother I love her more with each passing day." Tears welled up in his eyes. He tried to blink them away and leaned down to place a kiss on Legolas' forehead. "Namaarie. Cormamin niuve tenna' tae lea lle au'. Aa' menle nauva calen ar'ta hwestae' ale'quenle. (Farewell. My heart shall weep until it sees thee again. May thy paths be green and the breeze on thy back)."
(A/N: Do not think this perverted. This is father-son love not gay love, sorry.)
Tearing himself away, he left the room and softly shut the door. He turned to meet Eyroth, his first assistant, and his sympathetic look.
"I am sorry, My Lord."
"Yes, I am also. Will you," he paused and turned away.
"Yes, My Lord?"
The king took a deep breath. "If he continues living in this state," a sob caught in his throat. "Let him go."
"My Lord?"
"Yes. Let his journey on. I'd rather he leave Middle-earth than die." He lost his composure and put a hand to his face. After taking a deep breath, he turned back to Eyroth and said in a whisper that only elves could hear, "They are all leaving me."
He stared back at him. His assistant seemed to not know what to say. "I am truly sorry, My Lord," he whispered, but the king saw the sincerity.
Thranduil swallowed and stood straighter. "Keep all in order, will you? Notify me if something occurs."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Good, I will return in a few weeks." He turned and started walking down the hall.
'He is hurting,' Eyroth thought as he watched him go.
"Eyroth?" The king interrupted his thoughts. "Please may Legolas parting go relatively unnoticed. I do not want the entire forest seeing him in his state. For his own good you understand."
"Yes of course."
"Thank you." He disappeared around a corner.
'We all thought losing his wife was hard. This will be worse. He will surely fall. Oh, Valar, be with him.'
~~~
The journey went smoothly and only encountered a few hungry spiders, which were quickly taken care of with no serious injuries on the elves part. Thranduil was silent for virtually the entire trip. The guards sympathized with him, but left him alone.
Elrond greeted him with a slight smile, compassionate eyes, a warm embrace and the words, "Good eve, my friend. Do not grieve. We will get him through this.
Thranduil pulled away, fighting the emotions dwelling within him. "I am afraid it is too late. I told my assistant to ready a company to journey west with him if he worsens or continues living at this state. When I visit him as he sleeps, I feel as though I am at his funeral. His elven beauty has deceased and his eyes show only pain and misery. He looks more dreadful when I left than when I last spoke with you."
'Like son, like father,' Elrond thought as he looked the Mirkwood king over. "Come, we have a plan to concoct."
~~~
Their meeting had gotten them nowhere. The foreign king had already given up the potential that his son would live. Elrond was afraid he would journey west to the undying lands with his son.
Lord Elrond sat in his study with his head in his hands. If Thranduil and his heir left Middle-earth, Mirkwood would surely fall into shadow completely. Elrond couldn't rule both forests and could not bring all the Mirkwood people to Rivendell. 'What am I to do?'
He had to find away to get Legolas out of his current emotional statue. But how? There is little chance of the girl still being alive. Even if she is, Mordor is gaining strength and the elves would never prepare for such a battle. And a battle for a child not even of this world? 'I doubt many elves would die for that cause. . .'
There was no solution. He could not get Thranduil out of his state like he did when his wife left. Then, he had shown the king that he still had his son and people to protect. Now, his people weren't going to save him. Not since going to shadow.
If the Mirkwood people left Middle-earth, that would be the start of the end of the elves.
"Ah, Elbereth, and it would be my fault."
~~~
Lord Elrond heard Thranduil enter just as he was signing the letter. "Ah, Thranduil, thank you for joining me so early this morning." He glanced up and almost flinched when he saw the king. 'If he looks like this I would hate to imagine what his son looks like.'
"Anytime, Lord Elrond---"
"Please. Eliminate the formalities here. This is not business, it is personal."
"Yes, of course. If you would not mind, I would like to return when the next sun rises.
Elrond felt like sinking in his chair. "So soon?"
"Yes, I am most gracious for your hospitality and willingness to assist me in trying to revive my son, but I am afraid the pain is much too hard for him to bear with much longer. I wish to return and see him off while I still have that chance."
"I understand." Elrond nodded in approval as he folded the letter, placed it in an envelope, and sealed it. "I will have your companions notified and readied." He handed the letter to the messenger patiently waiting on his right. "Urgent," he whispered and the elf bowed and sped off. Turning his attention back to Thranduil he caught the last of what he was saying.
". . .have already taken care of everything. You have done more than enough for me already-which I endlessly thank you for---"
"Thranduil," Elrond paused as he stood and made his way toward the king. "Thank yous are not needed and my duty is not finished. Do not give up hope. Hope is always abandoned too soon."
"No, Lord Elrond. Hope had abandoned me. There is nothing left for me here. I-and Middle-earth-is better off with me vanished. If there are no other issues to discuss, I request my leave."
Elrond stared into the wood elf's eyes and saw the seriousness in his thoughts. He sighed, saying, "Yes. Ready for your journey. Travel swiftly and safely if I do not see you again." He continued looking into his eyes until Thranduil turned and slipped through the doors of Elrond's study.
"Hope never abandons."
~~~
A/N: Thank you all. I appreciate your reviews. Please! I need some constructive criticism! I thrive on it. How am I doing? Yell at me if you really want for not posting in like two weeks. The next chapter will be up sooner I hope!
Silver Starlight: You all know he's going to find Kama? Hmm. . .interesting. Does anyone else feel this way?
Zoya: Thank you and I am really sorry this took so long! I just couldn't find the time to type it!
Dragonlady: Yes indeed it is a different side of Legolas.
Elven Frog: You must post soon! If I ever get chapter ten and eleven done I can finally tell people about your fanfic. But I can't now because your story will ruin what is to come in mine right now! I will tell them all in due time. Hopefully sooner versus later.
Faerie-Elf: What is your overly active imagination telling you? And again I am TRULY sorry for not posting in so long. I feel horrible and I literally couldn't sleep. I'd be up trying to get everything else done so I could write this later. Yes, I'd be up at four in the morning. I think I'm pretty close to being grounded because of it because I keep waking my mom up.
Little-lost-one: He is not mortal. His mind is playing games with him. He is near death so his body is breaking down and well, turning mortal in a sense. This will be cleared up in later chapters.
x-silver-saffire-x: Yes, as I told little-lost-one he is not mortal. I will have this detail cleared up in later chapters. In fact, I will try my best to fit it in the next chapter because readers seem to want to know. And I'm sorry about the fluffy. It's all Chelsea's fault..don't ask.
Itarilde: Alright at least someone likes the angsty turn. I am glad you will be back to check on this chapter. Sorry it took so long :(. Let me know what you think!
Thank you to all my other reviewers!